What if
by Nadin4400
Summary: Changed timeline of "Time is on my side" - how season 3 would finish if Bela told the truth? Could the Colt save her and Dean? Bela/Dean, Sam/Ruby plus a bit of Bobby. Updated 07/11/08! Now complete! *R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: What if…

**Summary**: This is kinda song-fic for Kate Winslet's "What if" and my vision of how the events in 3.15 "Time is on my side" should have developed. I don't want anyone to die, unless they are really, really evil. I changed timeline a little bit - Dean visited Bela in her motel room not the day her deal was due but three days earlier. And… and she never went to shoot them. Instead… well, just read!

The story starts a couple hours later after Dean's visit to Bela's motel room.

**Spoilers**: Season 3, mainly 3.6 "Red sky at morning", 3.10 "Dream a little dream of me" and 3.15 "Time is on my side"

**Characters:** Dean, Sam, Bela, Ruby (maybe some other demons but they are minor)

**Disclaimer**: If they were mine do you think Season 3 could ever end like _that_?! Do you think it would ever end at all?

**Note**: All mistakes are mine, please be compassionate and remember that it is illegal to kill people no matter what :)

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****Chapter 1**

_What if I had never let you go?_

_Would you be the man I used to know?_

_If I'd stayed,_

_If you'd tried,_

_If we could only turn back time…_

Red and green neon sign near "Desert Bay Motel" flickered in the darkness changing from "Vacancy" to "No Vacancy" every half a minute.

Whistling under his nose, Dean Winchester crossed the parking lot, fished out the motel room key from the pocket of his black leather jacket and unlocked the door. Coming back to the same place for three days in a row almost made him feel like home.

Some feeling in the back of his mind which he considered to be intuition made him pause for a moment before entering the room. Something was wrong… something…

The curtains! He left the curtains open several hours ago and now they were shut tight again. Dean sighed in relief. That must have been Sammy boy and his damn attempt to always struggle for solitude and privacy. Which, of course, had a point. Like, say, scare the hell out of his older brother. Dean chuckled silently, still feeling his heart pounding fast in his chest.

"Hello, Dean," a voice that he would never ever be able to forget in his entire life called out for him from the darkness.

It took Dean not more than a second to reach into the inner pocket of his jacket, pull out a gun and aim it at her.

Bela Talbot in person was sitting on the chair in the middle of the room right in front of the door. Sitting like for quite a while already, Dean decided, considering she looked pretty comfortable which should have taken time to get to as her Hilton and Ritz standards were running low here, in this cheap roadside motel.

Dean couldn't help but notice that even in this cheap roadside motel she looked like a queen on a ball, all beautiful and elegant with her sea-green eyes cold as North Atlantic. Lips twisted in semi-smile, waves of dark blond hair falling on her back and shoulders covered with black leather coat, she looked at him like there was no gun in his hand pointed straight into her heart. One movement and she is history. She knew it. And she even might be caring but she definitely didn't look like she did. Not a single bit.

Looking at Bela it was still hard to believe what he learned from Rufus about her past. At first Dean thought that Bela was just a spoilt, self-centered and greedy bitch. Even when she shot Sam because he was the only Dean's weak spot he still refused to believe that she was a cold-hearted murderer. But then… No wonder that damn ghost ship that caused so much trouble for Sammy and him came for her. What surprised him more was why something supernatural like that never came for her earlier? Retribution from above. Or was she just smart enough to avoid being killed and punished for what she did? Dean always though that he was good – meaning _really_ good! – at reading people but Bela Talbot was like a bundle of surprises! He was confused having mixed feeling of pity and disgust about her. And right now, this very moment, least of all he wanted to see her anywhere near him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eyes never leaving her, Dean shut the door behind his back and started circling her around prepared to pull a trigger any moment. _Just give me a chance_, he thought. "How did you get in here?"

"All charm and manners as always," as if feeling Dean's intentions Bela followed him only with her gaze not daring to move. "If you don't want any unexpected guests on you territory you should live behind something more serious then a cardboard."

He crossed the poorly furnished room and first checked the insides of a small night table at the window. Then he moved to the wardrobe where small safe – Bela checked that, too, - was hidden between the shelves. In her opinion it wasn't even funny – the attempt itself to try and break the code would ruin her reputation… like, forever! And Dean… could he be so much crazy to place anything really valuable in there?

Satisfied with the fact that nothing was missing, Dean slammed the wardrobe door and raised his eyebrows at her expressing genuine surprise. Though he couldn't help but remind himself to have another check the next moment she'd left. That would be in half a minute at most.

"Did you really expect a welcome party, or what? Sorry to disappoint you, babe. I didn't have enough time to miss you. Now get your ass out of my room before I changed my mind."

"Old ploy. Are you really gonna shoot me?"

"Try me!"

"You won't," Bela said without hesitation. "You never kill people, remember? Winchester's rule."

"Don't flatter yourself. That's _people_ we're talking about!" He pointed out. "What does it have to do with you?"

Bela sighed struggling with the wish to close her eyes in an attempt to ease the pain. Dean's words were like sharp knifes digging into her body, into her very heart – she had the heart, no matter what he was saying or thinking or… whatever. Instead, she was sitting there, before him, all confidence and self-control, with her chin up, looking straight into his eye. She had nothing to lose anyway, although Bela kept on wondering once in a while what was gonna happen with her deal if anyone – she still preferred it wasn't Dean Winchester – killed her before her deal was due. Not that she was expecting to get to Heaven if there was no deal at all; that was way too naïve. But was there a point for the demons to come and claim her soul from the Hell if she _was_ in the Hell?

"You are not shooting unarmed," she said dryly, holding up her hands. "I came here just to talk to you."

"Unarmed?" Dean narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Do you really want me to believe you don't have… any cold weapon somewhere on your body? Oh, come on! I bet my last 50 cents that you never walk out the door without arsenal! There are too many people around wanting you to stop doing that. I mean walking… breathing… living." He shrugged his shoulders. "I know that. I'm one of them."

Utter despise in his voice made Bela clench her teeth and take a deep breath.

"I need to talk to you," her voice was calm and cool.

"Really?" He inclined his head a little bit. "Well, I don't! Go away, Bela. And don't forget to close the door."

Bela ignored his words. She rose to her feet – cautiously – and made two small steps towards him, arms crossed on her chest, looking in his face. She knew she wouldn't be surprised if he pulled the trigger now. Like she wouldn't have been if he did it earlier in her motel room. He didn't, though she saw he wanted it badly. Now _that_ was a surprise!

"I came to offer you a deal." She mastered a lopsided smile. "Rumors are you're good at them."

Dean grinned.

"You still believe everything you hear? How sweet! Rumors are Grinch stole Christmas and a bunch of elves set their asses on fire to bring it back. Believe that, too?"

Bela clenched her teeth even tighter. God knew it took all her strength and self-control to remain calm. At least to make such impression no matter how far it was from the truth. She was in no mood to play games, not right now. Without giving him a chance to throw her out of the room she said:

"You help me and the Colt is yours."

Dean's eyes grew wide.

"Wow!" He blew out in amazement staring at her and trying to guess whether she was kidding or not. Not really, he concluded. "That's the _hell_ of a deal!"

"I knew you'd go straight to the core, Dean," she smirked. "What do you say?"

"What do _I_ say? Hm…" he pretended weighting her words. "I say let's put it _my_ way – two bullets in your head and the Colt is mine."

"And how do you think you will find it?"

"I'll sniff it out." He flashed a brilliant smile at her demonstrating two rows of white teeth. "You know what, Bela? You really _are_ full of surprises! Honestly, I didn't believe it that much when you first said it." He shook his head dramatically and then gave her a comical frown. "But, hey! Wait a minute! How is that possible? Just a couple of hours ago you said you sold the Colt."

"I lied." She confessed calmly.

"Terrific! I came to you and you said you didn't have it any longer. And I was supposed to believe you, right?" Dean made a long and meaningful pause. "Well, I did. You looked and sounded convincing with a gun pointed at your head. What else I've got to do? Now you come and say you still have it and yet again I am supposed to believe you. Let me guess what's coming next – we've got to fly to the moon for it!"

Bela winced.

"That's pathetic!"

"That's life experience, honey. And we both know that you can say anything – I mean ANYTHING! – to get what you want. No idea what is it this time but it's not gonna work. You are not using me again. Ever. I'm sick and tired of that. I'm sick and tired of you."

There was a moment, just a blink which lasted not longer than half a second that caught Dean's attention. And there it was – sorrow, fear, desperation, pity. Right there, in the bottom of her eyes. Something that Dean had never seen before and what he never expected to see. He wasn't even sure so far that Bela Talbot was capable of expressing such feelings at all. Not that it changed anything, but…

Bela swallowed hard. Her heart was pounding in her chest so fast and loud that she wondered in the back of her mind whether Dean could hear it, too. Her time was running out quickly and she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't want to die. Not now. Not like that. Not for what had probably saved her life and remains of sanity some ten years ago. She wasn't afraid to become dead. But she didn't want to stop living. Everything she had, everything she was… gone? Gone to Hell…

"I have it."

"Yeah, sure. And where is it?"

"In a safe place."

"In a safe place," Dean mimicked her. "Of course! Where else?" He rolled his eyes. "You're walking on thin ice here, you know? Maybe you're right; maybe I won't shoot you because they'd charge me extra for cleaning all this blood. Besides I like the room. But I can hurt you badly if you don't stop getting on my nerves." He leveled the gun.

What the hell was that? Panic in her eyes? It couldn't be… could it?

"Dean, please…" her voice trembled a little bit.

"We're long over with any 'please' here, babe," Dean cut her off. "What part of 'Go away' didn't you understand?" His voice was cold as ice. "Want to hear the truth? I know you aren't used to it that much but still… I don't believe you, Bela. Every single word you say is a lie. And I won't help you even if I can because I'm pretty damn sure you don't have the Colt any longer. And I have no other reason to spend even half a second of my time on you. I'm not about wearing myself out to help such a murderous bitch as you are. We've already been through this and not once. Whatever you got yourself into… it's your fault."

Bela stepped back like his words physically hit her.

"I knew it was a waste of time," she shook her head in regret.

"See? Can be a smart girl after all! Still lying, mean and manipulative, but smart."

Bela ignored his sarcastic retort. When she spoke her voice was quiet and bitter:

"You don't want to know how I got like that, Dean, believe me."

"Well, I'm sure you have a freakin' good tearful story for me or anyone else willing to listen about your lousy childhood. What was that, Bela? Mommy and daddy not give you pocket money for the bloody make-up?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"That's enough," she said firmly. "Don't you… You know nothing about me."

"Oh, sweetheart, I wish it was true, but unfortunately I know a lot more than I'd like to. And what I know for sure is that you were the greatest pain in the ass ever since you crossed our path. Thank God… oops, sorry! Thank Hell it's not gonna last for much long."

Bela froze.

"You know about my deal." That wasn't a question.

Dean didn't say anything but she could see the answer in his eyes.

"Than it wouldn't be a big surprise for you to know that I know about yours," she said.

"You're not leaving me any chance to stay mysterious!" He chuckled. "How did you find out?"

"She told me."

"She – who?"

Bela paused for a moment looking at the wall behind his back and collecting her thoughts. Here was her chance to say why she came to him in the first place.

"The demon that holds my deal. Her name's Lilith. She said she holds yours, too. She said she holds every deal."

Dean frowned.

"Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't but it's the truth."

"That's why you stole the Colt?" He looked at her suspiciously. "You were not going to sell it. You wanted to break the deal."

She nodded slowly and looked at him again.

"Yes, but not the way you think. I was not about to kill Lilith. I was supposed to give the Colt to her." When he didn't say anything and just started at her in pure shock she continued. "Yet, I didn't do it. She changed the deal. Just brining the Colt was not enough. She told me I've got to kill Sam."

Dean strained himself again. Did she really come here now to say she was about to kill his little brother to save herself? She knew – must have! – that he'd never let it happen. So… just logically… she came to eliminate the only obstacle from her way. Gosh, she couldn't be such a fool! Seeing her so close now without boiling outrage in his veins that he felt several hours ago, Dean could see how tired, even exhausted Bela looked. Now he doubted she even slept at all anytime lately. Well, killing anyone – even not a relative – seemed to be not such an easy decision for her.

"You should've known better than miss small print in the end of the contract." Dark forces were not trustworthy; he knew it better than anyone. "Why are you telling me that?"

"Because I'm not gonna kill anyone, Dean, not even for my own soul," Bela's voice broke. She felt tears forming in her eyes and knew that in no time she wouldn't be able to force them back any longer. "I'm not a murderer!"

Her last words made him laugh sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah, tell me that! No, wait! Tell it to your parents. They'd appreciate the joke."

Bela clenched her fists so tight that her knuckled grew white. Sharp nails cut into the gentle skin of her palms and that pain was the only reason that helped her stay under control. He couldn't have cause her any more pain even if he wanted. A couple of words were literary breaking her whole world apart.

Without saying a word Bela crossed the room and came to one of the beds. Dean's, she guessed when she first saw it. Not so neatly made as the other one next to it. He never seemed like the guy who cared a lot about any kind of comfort and order. Standing there she could feel the scent of Dean's shave lotion. It seemed so familiar that the feeling almost hurt. Aware of him watching her every move, she tossed the pillow aside. She didn't look at him but could nearly feel his eyes growing wide and his mouth opening and almost hitting the floor.

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**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

Okaaaay, here comes Part 2. Hope you'll like it because I definitely do, especially after the last episode. You know, one should always have some hope for the best

All the stuff such as Disclaimer, Spoilers, Notes, etc. is the same!

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**Chapter 2**

_Many roads to take_

_Some to joy_

_Some to heartache_

_Anyone can lose their way_

_And if I said that we could turn it back_

_Right back to the start_

_Would you take the chance and make the change_

Dean Winchester probably least of all expected to see his lovely Colt right there, under the pillow of his own bed.

"I told you I have it," Bela said and turned to face him.

"Step away," he ordered and waved his gun at her.

She obeyed and moved to the window.

Dean came closer and examined the Colt. He didn't expect it to be real, of course. Another fake, like everything Bela did or said. At least for free. Something to distract his attention so she could accomplish whatever she really came here for. But to his surprise it was his Colt and it was real enough to make him feel confused about her once again.

He picked the Colt and lowered his gun. Shooting her now seemed pointless.

"What's the trick?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"There's no trick, Dean. My deal comes due in three days and then I go to Hell. I am as good as dead. But I don't want any more deaths on me." The lump in her throat made her voice small and quivering. All that confidence and determination she came here with were quickly fading away.

Bela pulled the curtain aside a little bit and looked out into the street. Parking lot and narrow pavement along the L-shaped one-storey building were crossed with long shadows from the trees that grew all around the place. She felt chill run down her spine as she imagined demonic creatures hiding in these shadows, waiting for their time. Bela could feel their violent, red, glowing in the darkness eyes staring at her. She knew it was nothing but her fear but it was too close to the truth to simply wave it away. She shuddered against her will.

Dean put the Colt into the bedside table's drawer and tucked the gun behind the belt of his Levi's. It might be a trap and in the back of his mind he knew he should've never believed a single word Bela Talbot said. But he believed her now, despite all the odds and common sense. She was a damn good actress – oh, yeah, he had a couple of perfect chances to check that! - but that desperation in her voice, in her eyes, and in her posture was genuine. And her attempts to mask it behind her usual coldness and indifference were making it even more obvious.

"Why?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You had the Colt. For several long months that Sam and I spent tracking you down all over the country it was yours. Why didn't you kill that freakin' bitch Lilith in the first place?"

"Oh, please!" Bela gave out a nervous snicker and shook her head. "Do you think it's that easy? Do you _really_ think she'd ever let me somewhere near her with the Colt she knew about? I thought I could think something out, outwit her somehow… I couldn't." She closed her eyes for a moment considering the necessity of the decision she was about to take. Well, she didn't really have a choise. "As for my parents… it wasn't about money." Bela turned and walked to the door. "I'd better leave now."

Dean caught up with her in two quick steps, grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to look at him.

"What do you mean – it wasn't about money? What was that about, then?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does." He insisted.

"No, it doesn't. It never did." Bela's gaze sharpened, voice strong as steel. "Let go of me, Dean!" She jerked her hand but his grip was stronger than that.

"Not until you say what you are up to," he hissed.

"Are you megalomaniac, or what? I already told you everything I could and even more. You wanted your Colt – now you have it! You can kill Lilith and free yourself of the deal. You can save Sam. And many other innocent people you're talking about all the time." She winced. "I owe you nothing. We're even. Let me go!"

"You said you came to offer me something. It sounded like you were asking for help," he reminded her maliciously.

"I changed my mind."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," she mimicked his tone.

"I don't believe you."

"I never asked you to," Bela snorted scornfully.

Dean gave her such an intense look that she suspected he was trying to read her mind.

"What was your deal about, Bela?" His face was so close that even in the dimly lit room she could see little dark spots in his green eyes.

"You're hurting me," she whispered although she didn't even feel his touch over that all-consuming pain that formed in her chest and was now spreading all over her body. She didn't want him to hate her. Least of all she wanted to die knowing that Dean Winchester despised her with all his heart and soul.

"What. It. Was. About." Dean repeated slowly.

"Damn you! It was about my father…"

And she told him everything.

Everything she could recall about these terrible years full of hurt and pain and humiliation. Everything she was trying to forget for years but still didn't manage to block out of her memory. Everything that caused endless nightmares filled with utter horror and tears. There were periods of time when she hadn't been able to sleep for weeks out of fear to see and feel it all once again.

Sitting on the floor near the door Bela started at the opposite wall never turning to meet Dean's eyes. Her voice was plain and flat and lacked of any emotions like she was talking not about the most terrible experience one could ever have but about something totally insignificant and meaningless. It felt like after all she'd been through there was nothing but emptiness left in her soul. Only unbidden tears that she didn't bother to wipe away from her cheeks showed what kind of pain she was going through.

Dean was sitting on the edge of his bed not daring to breathe or move while Bela spoke. And the more she spoke the more he wanted her to stop. It was too much for his mind to comprehend. Not after all these times he was seriously thinking about putting a bullet in her head. It was a different Bela Talbot before him right now, not the one he knew… or thought he knew. She didn't seem so sure and self-centered. And he no longer thought that her heart was nothing but a stone covered with ice. Looking at her now all that Dean could see was a little girl, scared and lost. A girl that had no one in the whole world to protect her.

"I didn't want them to die," she said. "All I wanted was to stop it. I couldn't bear it any longer. My father…" she cut herself off and chuckled bitterly. "I can't even call him like that. There was nothing human about him." She sobbed silently. "And we both knew I could do nothing. I was so tired and scared. I was thinking of suicide… anything was better than living like that." Bela turned her head to look at Dean for the first time since she started telling her story. "But I never knew it could finish like that. Demons… They never told me what price I'd have to pay, not straight away. And even if they did… I don't think it would stop me then. I guess nothing could stop me then."

"Bela…" Dean started.

"I don't wanna die," she whispered feeling hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't wanna die, Dean. Please, help me. I know I don't deserve it but I don't want to go to Hell…"

Bela pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she stopped restraining the tears. She never could've imagined that talking about her past would make her fall apart. Every word she said was literary ripping her into tiny pieces. Bela though she was strong. Stronger than that anyway. She thought that her feelings about what happened years ago were long buried and forgotten. Yet it hurt even more now that she had to face the truth once again. And not only to face it but also to open it to somebody else.

Dean didn't know what to say. He'd never expected to hear anything so ugly and disgusting like what she'd just said. When he commented on 'tearful story' he couldn't imagine how close his hit was to the truth. But he knew for sure that he couldn't listen to her voice full of desperation and see her sitting there all alone like that anymore. He was no judge to decide what she deserved and what she didn't but he was pretty damn sure that no one deserved going to Hell for a simple wish to have a normal life.

Dean rose from the bed and came up to Bela.

"Hey, come here."

He helped her to her feet and she didn't resist when he pulled her into the circle of his arms. Instead, Bela clutched on to his shirt as if scared that he might simply disappear into thin air and buried her face into his chest. Dean's hug was strong and strangely comforting. It felt like coming home after a long journey. Hence it hurt even more when she reminded herself that it was going to come to an end in no time. She wished that she could hold on to him like that forever. There were no demons in the world when she could stand there and listen to his heart beating, and no Lilith, and no deals. Only his strong arms around her body and his voice whispering something stupid what she didn't even try to get.

"You know what?" Dean asked quietly. "You have a freakin' weird idea of 'safe place'. Not to mention you definitely don't take the point of bargaining chip."

Bela chuckled through her sobs. Dean could feel that she started to relax in his arms, her breath became less strained and more deep. He stroked her soft hair and heard her taking short convulsive breath-ins.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," she whispered. "I can't even begin to say how really sorry I am."

"If you'd come to us earlier and told us everything we'd take the Colt and save you," he answered with slight reproach.

Dean wasn't mad at her. Well, he was of course, but not right at the moment. Maybe that'd come later. Maybe he'd be _really_ mad later. As for now… now all he could think about was that she was safe. They still had time. Not much but it was better than nothing. But he was pretty crossed with himself for not guessing from the start that there was something else but greedy wish to become even richer than she was behind her actions. It all looked simple and clear now that he knew the whole story and Dean couldn't understand why he didn't come to it earlier. He should've dug into her past, come to her, demand direct answers. She'd turn him down of course, lied to him or maybe even shoot him in annoyance like she shot Sam in that graveyard, but he'd at least knew that he tried.

"I know but I couldn't. I never told anyone about it, not a single person. Ever." Bela said in muffled voice. "Please, don't tell anybody, Dean. Not even Sam. Especially Sam. No one. Please…"

"I won't," he assured her and hugged her even tighter. "I won't. It will be our little secret. Just you and me."

--

Sam opened the door without knocking and stepped into the room holding paper bag with two cheeseburgers and some fries in his hand.

Dean called him in the middle of the night and asked to come as soon as possible, no matter what stage his investigation of mysterious deaths was at. The tone of his voice intrigued and worried Sam. There was something about Dean that Sam was pretty sure of – his brother could be serious only in extreme – meaning _extremely_ _dangerous_ - situations. And this time his voice was very, very serious!

Could it be that Dean found Bela and got the Colt back from her? Sam didn't dare hope for that but it was the first and the most reasonable explanation of such urgency. Of course it was too good to be true because he knew that Bela would never miss the chance to add several grand to her bank account but who knew? Or maybe Dean found out what she did with their only weapon against all forces of darkness and what they've got to do to have it back. Chances were that Dean's deal still could be broken if they found the right demon to shoot in time.

"Hey, man!" Sam waved his hand at Dean who was sitting in the chair near the table and banged the door behind his back. "I though you might be…"

His voice trailed off as he fixed his glance on one of the beds. For several long moments Sam stood there opening and closing his mouth without making any sounds, which reminded Dean of those fish in aquariums in Pet-shops. The resemblance was striking! Dean sighed. No wonder that after a long and sleepless night his associative line was damaged.

Sam gave him a questioning look.

"Dude, tell me you do know that it's Bela sleeping in your bed."

"Yeah," Dean shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "It's kinda 'hard-not-to-notice' thing, you see."

"And what the hell she's even doing here?" He exclaimed and even reached for his gun on impulse.

"Sh-h!" Dean hissed at him. "She dozed off only a couple of hours ago."

"What?" Sam frowned and felt an immense urge to walk out of the door and check the number on it to make sure that he entered the right room because he started to suspect that this man over there wasn't his brother. "Why do you even bother?"

"Take a look inside," Dean waved his head towards the bedside table near the window.

"Why?"

"Gosh, Sam, just do it!"

Sam moved his shoulder and yanked open the drawer throwing cautious glances at Dean. And the next moment Dean regretted his didn't have a photo camera right there at hand to fix that memorable moment of total disbelief on Sam's face. He didn't look that stunned and perplexed even when he saw his first demon, Dean thought.

"Is it…?" Sam whispered.

"Yeah, it is."

"But how…?"

"Stranger things happen."

Dean gave Bela's sleeping form another quick look and only then noticed the bag in Sam's hands.

"What's that?"

"Breakfast," Sam replied absentmindedly, his gaze shifting from Bela to the Colt and back to Bela again.

"Breakfast?" Now that he said it Dean could also feel the smell of fresh bread and crispy fries. "That's not so bad of an idea." He rose from his place. "C'mon, there's that bench near the registration office... We've got to talk."

He grabbed his jacket from the back of creaky old chair and walked out of the door past still amazed Sam who kept on standing right where he stopped trying to decided what the hell was going on there and what was he supposed to do with all that mess.

"Move, jinx!" Dean called out over his shoulder.

"Dean, are you sure we can leave her there all alone?" Sam caught up with him in just a moment but couldn't stop looking back every second. "Especially with the Colt."

"She's not going anywhere, believe me," Dean replied.

He eased himself heavily onto the bench that stood between jasmine bushes and a cute flowerbed covered with flowers of all possible colors and shades.

"If you say so," Sam sat next to him and tired not to sound too skeptical.

Not that he was skeptical but still… Of course he trusted Dean in his words but that was Bela they were talking about. And talking about Bela one could never be a hundred percent sure of anything at all.

"Now, give me my breakfast!" Dean snatched the bag from Sam's hands, burst it open and breathed in that pleasant and incomparable scent of _food_. "Hell, I'm starving! And I've got a freakin' long story to tell."

--

"So, it's Lilith after all," Sam said with a nod when Dean finished his update in about half an hour.

"Yep!"

"Just like Ruby said." He gave Dean a meaningful 'I-told-you-so' look.

Hard to say why but the fact that Ruby told the truth somehow pleased Sam.

"Hm-m."

"Do you think we can trust them?"

"Well, I don't know. A demon and a thieving bitch." Dean chuckled. "They are like what, two most trustworthy chicks in the world? But unless they tell us lies for some shady mutual benefit – which is big HA! – yeah, I guess we can start planning our date with Lilith."

Sam shrugged his shoulders not having anything to object. He trusted Ruby to some degree. At least she didn't lie to them yet so far. Unlike Bela. But she was the demon, which usually meant _Unpredictable_ as second name… And he definitely did not trust Bela. Even the idea of her giving away such valuable in certain circles thing as the Colt just like that, without having a back thought, seemed ridiculous to him. But now that he knew about her deal… She was running out of time and hence - desperate. Dean knew it better than anyone else. And if he thought that she was telling the truth Sam had nothing left to do but trust him on that, too. He only decided to keep his eyes open. Just in case…

"I still can't believe we have the Colt back," Sam leaned back on the bench and let himself relax a little bit enjoying first rays of morning sun. "It sounds like a miracle."

"Yeah, consider ourselves lucky about that." Dean agreed.

"So, dude, Bela comes to you and you rush ahead to help her once again? Like nothing happened? Like she never did what she did?" Sam frowned suspiciously.

It wasn't hard to understand why she came to Dean in the first place as she had already done this trick before and it always worked. Still it was strangely odd why Dean didn't turn her down right away.

"What do you think I should've done? Send her straight to Hell? "

"Well, that's the first thought that comes to mind!"

"No, Sammy," Dean shook his head and bitterness in his voice made Sam give him another studying look. "We are… what did she say back then? Obsessed with revenge jerks…?"

"Maniacs, as far as I remember," Sam corrected him.

"Whatever," Dean winced. "But we are not killers and we don't send to Hell those who can be saved. Unless they are _really_ evil."

"Now you came to the point!" Dean rolled his eyes. "Since when did you become Mother Theresa?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance, bro. Even Bela."

Dean stood up from the bench and stretched himself yawning widely. Now he thought he'd kill for another twenty hours of healthy sleep. Maybe that idea of having breakfast wasn't so good after all. When he was hungry he at least could think clearly.

Sam followed him after a short hesitation.

"That was a joke, right?"

* * *

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**: First of all I'd like to thank everyone for positive reviews. I appreciate your interest in my story and want to confess that you really helped me to move on :))))

Chapter 3 was probably the hardest one to write so far as it contains some insight on characters' personalities. But I still keep my fingers crossed for you to like it.

Now, go on!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The first thought that came to Bela's mind when she woke up in the morning was that it was probably the best sleep she had in weeks. She lay curled up in Dean's bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried into the pillow that smelled like Dean and had no wish to open her eyes at all. It was so warm and safe and cozy to lie like that, covered with soft plaid that Dean found on the upper shelve in the wardrobe. Her mind was lazily drifting between drowsiness and reality. It was that special and rare state of body and soul when she could feel peace and comfort. When she could dream about happy-ending.

Bela still couldn't believe that it was happening to her. Happening for real and not in her imagination. Maybe it was a dream? Maybe nothing happened last night? But no, of course it was real! Even the best dreams couldn't have made her feel the smell of Dean's lotion and the touch of his fingers that still burned on her cheek.

It was the first time in her life that she let someone in her soul. And still Bela wondered how easily she surrendered after all these years that she spent on building high and thick walls around her heart. There were lots of dirty secrets in her past, which she wasn't quite proud of. Though if most of them were revealed for some reasons she wouldn't care that much after all. She doubted any of them could be a threat to her reputation.

But business secrets were not the same as personal. Not that she seriously thought she would never have a wish to open the truth to someone special. Of course she considered the possibility. Well, she just could not imagine that that "someone" would be none other than infamous hunter Dean Winchester. The man wanted by FBI; the man who – truth to tell – had no reputation to lose. And that it would be not a simple wish but rather a desperate need for only him and no one else to be aware of something that she kept well hidden for so long time. They had more in common, Bela knew, than they both first thought. And she was definitely thinking not about the same sphere of business.

It was a different Dean Winchester she saw last night. Still witty and sarcastic at times he was unexpectedly kind and sensitive when she needed it. As Bela lay on the bed hugging his pillow he was sitting right there next to her stroking her hair and back. She thought he knew back then that all the memories he forced her to live through once more had cut that old wound open again. And he was sorry for that. Bela felt silent tears streaming down her cheeks and was confused about whether they were caused by long-forgotten pain or by something that kept on squeezing her chest every time Dean's fingers ran gently along her skin.

He was talking to her. All the time. He told her everything about his mother, and how she died; about his father and how he became a hunter; and Sam, and how Dean always took care of him not because he had to but because he felt that it was what he was mean to do. He told her everything about the feelings he had when he found out that his father was battling supernatural forces. And about how he became a hunter himself. Dean confessed that he never regretted how his life had turned but every once in a while he wished he could've hoped for the future. Not tomorrow-future or the-next-week-future, at most. He would've liked to have long-term plans for the next five, ten, fifteen years.

Bela doubted that Dean's intentions were to entertain her with stories about his past or his dreams. Apparently he used them as a distraction to draw her attention away from her own pain. And she appreciated his attempt. Appreciated a lot more than she could express.

She didn't say a word while he spoke and wondered at the back of her mind whether he would keep on talking if she fell asleep. But she didn't want to fall asleep, that would mean she'd stop hearing his voice and she didn't want to. And when she finally fell asleep somewhere close to the dawn she hadn't been dreaming as she expected she might've. It was probably Dean; or the fact that this heavy weight was at last lifted from her heart…

Bela slowly turned to the other side. Her gaze stopped at electronic alarm clock on the bedside table. It was a little over eight in the morning. She hardly slept more that three or four hours but to her own surprise she felt rested. Even considering the fact that sleeping in jeans wasn't such a good of an idea in her opinion. But now, at that very moment she wouldn't have changed that small motel room with its furniture twice her age and her tight jeans for Royal residence in Hilton, silk sheets on the bed and her favorite nightgown even for a million bucks.

Strange how tables can turn when you have so much to lose, Bela thought. With "So much" not referring to money.

Bela scanned the room expecting to see Dean sleeping on the next bed but it was empty and obviously untouched. Although she didn't have enough time to wonder where he might be at this early hour as she heard muffled voices right outside the door. Dean's was surely one of them.

She sat on the bed.

"Morning, Bela," Sam was the first to step into the room followed closely by Dean.

"Sam," she smiled at him in her usual condescending manner.

He didn't seem very happy with her presence. Bela even suspected that if she could have a chance to read his mind she'd learn plenty of new things about herself.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"

Dean flashed a broad smile at her from behind Sam's back and started to cough pretending he choked over something when Sam gave him a surprised look over the shoulder.

"I definitely will."

With as much dignity as she could muster, Bela got up from the bed and walked past the brothers and into the bathroom wondering if she could find a spare toothbrush somewhere in the lockers but not really hoping for that. One look around the room was enough to understand that the chances were close to none. Coming alongside Dean she paused a little bit and soundlessly sighed with relief when he gave her a short reassuring shook of his head. The touch of his hand – unnoticed by Sam - brushed lightly against the skin of her arm sending her heart pumping like crazy.

Bela closed the door behind her back and leaned against the sink scattered with cracks. Old mirror reflected the face of a young woman with dark-blond hair and green eyes. A woman who spent her whole life struggling for survival by all means. Who long forgot how to dream and hope and care for something other than fancy things and money because it was easier than anything else. Well, it wasn't just about money, Bela admitted. It was also about that fantastic feeling of freedom and adrenaline rushing through her veins every time she risked her life and laid her hands on something magical… and expensive. And this amazing sensation of power and triumph she had every time she managed to twist somebody round her little finger. Especially when 'somebody' referred to Winchester brothers. It was fun!

Of course her life might be different if…

There were too many 'ifs' to count. Bela shook her head. Looking back now she knew she wouldn't change anything, not a single bit. Well, not serious ones. Her disappointment in life was so deep that she saw no point in trying to make it better for her own self or the others. And it was easy, too. Just to pretend that her heart was made of stone. Not as hard as one might think, anyway. She'd always been good at pretending until the time came and she suddenly realized that it was not about pretense any more. She simply stopped caring, feeling, hoping... well, wasting her time for what didn't really matter in her opinion. Bela thought it would stay the same for always.

But life was unpredictable at times and some things never happened the way she wanted or expected them to. Like meeting Dean Winchester for example. Was it a good fortune or a bad luck, considering the obstacles? Both, Bela guessed and wondered what Dean's thoughts about their encounter were. Did he have any idea that he effortlessly turned her whole life upside down? Unlikely. Bela doubted he even gave her an extra thought if it wasn't about sending a couple of curses in her back. Before last night at least…

Even if they failed, even if she was going to Hell after all she would at least spend her last days with the only man… hm, with Dean. Something strange was going on between them. Something that she could not explain or understand. But she'd be damned if she didn't hold on to the chance to find it out.

Back in the room Sam opened and turned on his laptop to check on the latest news.

It was crazy, he thought, and cast Dean another unpleasant sideway look. Their whole plan was insane! Thankfully his brother was standing at the window with unfolded morning newspaper in his hands busy with reading what looked like stock exchange news column – Gee, world _really_ was going to Hell! – and didn't notice his sizzling glances.

There were no cases known to the history when anyone managed to break the deal with the crossroad's demon. They both spent months for thorough research trying to find a way to avoid the deal and yet came to nothing. That's what it was. And now what? Dean gone nuts and decided that less than three days were enough to make impossible. Great! Just great! And for whom? In comparison with an answer to this question stock exchange news column seemed harmless and normal. Dean didn't look so determined even when he finally admitted that he didn't want to die. Well, he never said he did but ever since the deal was made he behaved with certain indifference about his fate. All that crap about no happy-ending for the hunters was what he learned in the first place and one way in his opinion was no better than the other. Face the truth and live on. Come what may!

Until Bela Talbot knocked on the door. Broke in, actually, but it didn't make any difference.

Sam took a deep breath and turned to the monitor.

Dean made his choice. Now Sam's options were to either help him or leave. He couldn't leave. That meant that he made his choice, too.

"I really feel like coffee," Dean muttered turning the page. "Damn morning papers! Do they really think that people are interested in nothing but that frigging stock market?"

"Sorry, dude, no room service today," Sam looked around. "Or ever. Maybe in a couple of years. Five, most likely."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't actually hoping. But it's not an excuse for no pancakes," Dean hemmed. "What's in there?" He waved his head towards the computer.

"Demonic possession in Alabama. A couple of mysterious disappearances in Minnesota. Poltergeist in North Carolina, follows the family from one house to another. Must be an old troublesome lady according to the description of incidents," Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Usual stuff." He paused. "Our dear friend is still busy, by the way. There was found another body with missing organ. Left lung this time. The same area. Police finally took this case seriously and made an announcement calling for people to be cautious and never leave their houses in the night-time."

Dean frowned.

"We'll be back in no time, Sammy. And I swear I'll get this guy."

Sam nodded and decided not to push. He could see how hard it was for Dean to leave thousands of people in danger. But if they broke the deal even more would be saved. It made sense though the price seemed high.

"So, what's the next step?" He looked at Dean.

"We're going to Queens," Dean gave him a broad 'Cheshire-cat' smile and winked at Bela who came out of the bathroom.

--

"I'm not sitting in the back!" Sam announced firmly, his arms folded on the chest to emphasize the seriousness of his voice.

"Yes, you are," Bela objected lightly ignoring his determination.

"No, I'm surely not!" His temper began to rise.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Dean came up to the car with two traveling bags in his hands – with the Colt securely hidden on the bottom of one of them. He tossed them into the trunk and slammed it down with a loud 'bang!'.

"Tell her I'm not sitting in the back," Sam turned to him obviously searching for the older brother's support. "Never."

"Well, he isn't," Dean gave Bela an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Maybe next time."

"I never sit in the back either," she retorted, hands of her hips.

"You can sit in my lap," he offered immediately with his trademark 'Dean-Winchester' smile.

Sam rolled his eyes. Dean would always be himself despite the gravity of situation.

"Well, thank you very much!" Bela drawled with genuine and sincere happiness as if Dean's words were the best she'd ever heard in her life. "But let me remind you, Dean, that the whole idea of our journey is to stay alive, not to hasten our deaths." She paused. "Although I've got to admit that it makes sense, too. We can always distract Lilith by killing ourselves. Bet she's not expecting anything like that. She'd be really, really pissed."

"Are you finished?" Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Not exactly," Bela gave him a heavy look and then turned to Dean with charming smile on her lips. "There is one more thing… I get sick when I sit in the back."

Sam growled.

"Oh, please!"

That was a cheap shot!

"Shut up you both!" Dean bellowed at them annoyed over the edge by endless arguments. "You," he poked his finger at Bela, "sit in the front. And you," the finger on Sam now, "sit in the back. That's my last word! Now get inside."

"I knew it," Bela singsonged quietly, very pleased with herself.

"That's not fair!" Sam wasn't intended to give up so easily. "Who's your brother anyway?"

"Don't look at me!" Bela said quickly, totally horrified. "I'm too good-looking to be his brother." She looked at Dean with sympathy. "No offence, Dean. Nothing personal, it's just fact."

"How sweet! Don't worry, none taken." He smirked. "By the way, Bela, where is your car?" Dean frowned, looked around and scanned parking lot as if really expecting to see her sleek silver two-doors sporty Mercedes. But there was only a truck with its trunk filled with some junk and an old mini-van, obviously rented by a middle-class family for their trip around the country.

"At home," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "In the garage."

Dean and Sam exchanged puzzled glances.

"And…" Dean cleared his throat. "How did you get here?" He asked slowly. "No, wait! Don't say anything!" He quickly raised his hands into the air when she only started to open her mouth to reply. "I have a strange feeling I don't wanna know that."

"Fine!" She smiled at them both in turns, which only confirmed Dean's confidence that some secrets should stay veiled in obscurity till the end.

Bela took her place on the front passenger's seat and slammed the door before fastening her seatbelt. Dean winced at the sound.

"Sorry, Sam," he said soundlessly only with his lips.

"Maybe we can leave her behind somewhere at the nearest gas station?" Sam asked him with hope, not yet ready to accept the inevitable.

Dean considered his offer watching Bela give him annoyed looks through the window. No one could ever call her a patient person.

"Tempting," he admitted with a sigh. "But not this time. Though we can still hope to never see her again when all this crap is over."

"Oh, yeah! Humor me!"

--

Dean tapped his finger lightly on the steering wheel in time with the music that sounded from the old tape-recorder filling the salon of his car. _Scorpions_. Everlasting classics that matched perfectly with his '67 Impala.

_Baby our love's got what it takes_

_To give us one more chance to start once again_

_Baby our love will find a way_

_As long as we believe in love_

"As long as we believe in love," Dean repeated automatically under his nose.

If only it was so easy! But when it came to the dark side of the world only holy water, or sharp stake, or powerful amulet were of use. Well, right now coffee would do, too. He wanted to have some coffee. No, a lot of coffee! A big mug of steaming black liquid that might finally wake him up and clear his mind. Though, to be honest, Dean wasn't so sure that coffee could be of any help in clearing his mind. Nevertheless he didn't mind checking.

Sam threw another impatient look at his watch and then out of the window. Parking lot was still empty. He sighed. On Bela's request they dropped by her motel before leaving the city so she could take whatever she had left in her room. How much stuff could she have in there, for God's sake?!

"Okay. So, tell me one more time why are we going to Bela's?"

Sam leaned over the front seat of Impala and closer to Dean. His hope for Dean to start the car and drive away while Bela stayed inside was long gone anyway.

"M-m, first of all probably because she has a place and we apparently don't." Dean started bending his fingers. "Besides, her place is stuffed with charms and other creepy magic junk that we may need. And what's the most important she has lots and lots of books on the subject, not to mention your favorite link to the real world – Internet-the-Almighty. Of course we could try and barge into the nearest library for all this, but why bother?"

"Oh, sure," Sam nodded, not at all convinced. "And driving all across the country is a lot less inconvenient. What can I say against it?"

"You stop being such a jerk, Sam," Dean winced. "I will never let you watch these intellectual programs on TV ever again. They have a freakin' bad influence on you. I can stand it when you're pain in the ass which is what you're supposed to be…"

"Thanks, dude!"

"…but not when you're pain in the neck." He finished.

"Okay, then!" Sam gave out a short snicker. "Let's see how long you gonna last without 'Tom and Jerry' on Saturday mornings."

"Now that was harsh, Sammy! Thanks for not moving on to my Playboy collection."

Sam gave out a short laugh. He bet Dean had no idea how obvious his weak spots were.

"Gosh, what takes her so long?" Sam glanced at the entrance door and shook his head.

"Not a broken nail, I hope."

Dean froze when this terrible suspicion crept into his mind. In this case they were stuck in that frigging parking lot till next Christmas. Not that two months were a long period of time, especially with such collection of music like Dean always had close at hand but it was starting to get really boring! What was she doing there, anyway?!

"If this is about torn nylons she'll never come out," Sam muttered gloomily. "Do you have another tape in there, Dean? Something… more entertaining?"

Dean met his brother's eyes in the rear-view mirror and raised his eyebrows expressively.

"Wanna entertain yourself? Call your girlfriend. We can use some help here. She's got to know how to find Lilith."

With these words he got out of the car, slammed the door closed and leaned against it with his arms folded across his chest.

Sam blushed and scowled. He hated it when Dean started teasing him about Ruby. So what if he trusted her more than… than some other demons? And even more than most of humans, to tell the truth. She helped them a lot. Besides…

Sudden realization made Sam's lips curve into a sly grin. Could it really be that simple? He climbed out of the car, too, and narrowed his eyes in the bright sun.

"Speaking of girlfriends, Dean…"

"What about them?"

"I see you started getting pretty well along with yours."

Dean shrugged his shoulders without even looking at him. He was hypnotizing the entrance door. Maybe black hole swallowed Bela on the way to her room?

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on, Dean!" This was getting really funny. "Why do you think Bela even came to you?"

"So I could help her kill Lilith and free her from that bloody deal of hers," Dean replied slowly and warily. Did he miss something? "Why? D'you think she had other reasons?"

"Don't know about _reasons_, dude. But she definitely has a crush on you."

Sam bit his lower lip not to burst out laughing when Dean gasped and began to cough. Oh, he definitely should've seen his own face!

"Wha… Why? No!... Why?" He was so genuinely shocked that deep inside Sam even felt sorry for him. But it was too deep to stop him.

"With all her remarkable skills for survival, Dean, she could've been long free from her deal." Sam shrugged his shoulders totally enjoying the moment. It was a rare chance for him to take revenge on Dean for all his jokes. Although he couldn't even imagine at first that it was a direct hit. "You said they sent her to kill me. She could've done it. That would probably be the end of her deal, right? Or she could've tried other ways. I don't know. She could've made another deal, for another ten years. A girl of her talents… they'd have no problem to find use of her. But she didn't do it. Why do you think?"

"Because she didn't have any…thing trustworthy around?" Dean supposed. He didn't quite like Sam's train of thoughts. "Or because she's done with such kind of deals."

"Nope," Sam shook his head. "She came to you not only to ask for help but also to make sure that you are both free from your deals in the end. And why on Earth would she want that?"

Dean opened his mouth to object but no words came to mind. Not those he expected, at least. He cast a sidelong glance at Sam.

"No more intellectual programs _and_ science fiction books for you. They are evil, I always knew it!"

"What? The truth hurts?" Sam snorted.

"Shut up, jerk," Dean snarled in annoyance. "She's coming."

Dean expected to see Bela loaded with at least a dozen of bags of all sizes, colors and purposes. Instead she came up to them with only one black suitcase and a purse in her hands. She looked fresh, Dean thought, even with dark circles under her eyes. She changed into another T-shirt and short brown leather jacket. Black coat was most likely now packed somewhere in that suitcase of hers. God, she looked gorgeous and Dean almost hated it about her. Especially now that Sam's words sounded in his head.

"What?" Bela asked when she caught a confused glance from Dean and an amused one from Sam.

"Nothing," said Sam quickly and slid back into the car.

"Nothing," Dean repeated and took the suitcase from her hands to put it into the trunk of Impala. "But you could've been done faster."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Dean!" She said apologetically and even put a hand on her heart for a better effect. "It took me the _whole_ ten minutes to change and pack. What a shame! The next time I'll try to do it in nine and a half. I promise."

"Just get in."

He tried to sound irritated but by the look in his eyes and the way Dean tried to hide his smile behind a violent fit of coughing Bela saw he wasn't. At least not with her being _that much_ late.

She opened the door and took her seat greeted by one of her favorite never dying hits:

_You and I just have a dream_

_To find our love a place, where we can hide away_

_You and I were just made_

_To love each other now, forever and a day_

Dean Winchester had good taste in music; she'd got to give him that.

**To be continued…**

* * *

PS Hope you don't mind my – well, let's face the truth – love to _Scorpions_. It happened that I was listening to their songs most of the time I was writing this part of the story and some lines just got stuck in my head.


	4. Chapter 4

So, here is the next chapter

I must say that at first I planned this story to be twice shorter but… well, I guess I enjoy the process too much :)))

Ruby's finally on the scene and then again lots of psychological and inter-relational babbling again, even some romance, to my own surprise. But I promise you a good battle later, in the last chapter probably.

Hope you'll like this one, too

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Bela opened the door to her apartment with a spare key and first of all switched off the security alarm system under Dean's grunting something about "lousy mechanisms" behind her back. It was a strange moment. She didn't really think she'd come back here before… well, ever again. Maybe it would be even better if she didn't. She even took care of a letter to be delivered to her landlord the day after her supposed death where she wrote that due to unexpected circumstances she had to move out urgently and asked him to take care of her cat. Seeing all her stuff in a place where she's been living for a couple of years already and which she used to think of as her home made that desperate wish not to die even stronger.

"Come on in," Bela said over the shoulder to Dean and Sam. "What?" She asked when they hesitated. "Can't even walk through the door without breaking in first?"

"Beware of booby traps," Sam muttered under his breath so that only Dean could hear him.

"Yeah, it feels weird," Dean admitted looking around. "So many exciting memories!" He followed Bela down the corridor. "I see you have new paintings. Nice!"

"The old ones looked strange with bullet holes in them." She put her bag onto the couch. "Feel like home, boys!"

"See, I told you!" Dean whispered to his brother with a triumph in his voice. "Some day we'd find a place to feel like home!"

"I thought you meant Florida."

"It was a long-term plan," he explained. "Hey, look who have we here!"

Dean squatted down as Bela's Siamese cat came slowly out of the kitchen area and cautiously approached two strangers. It wore dark-brown leather collar with glittering metallic plate in the front where, Dean supposed, its name and Bela's address were engraved in case her little friend got lost.

He reached out his hand and let the cat sniff at it and then scratched its head. And smiled against his will when the cat started to purr softly.

"His name's Casper," Bela looked down at Dean with what he classified as surprise. "And he likes you."

"Casper like _Casper the Friendly Ghost_?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Casper like _Casper the Friendly Ghost_," she nodded.

"The good old classics," Dean smirked. "How do you know he likes me?"

"He didn't scratch you right away."

"Jesus!" Dean jerked his hand back and rose quickly to his feet. "Why didn't you say he could?"

"I did," she disagreed with straight face.

"When?"

"Just now."

"It could've been too late!"

"Gee, Dean, it's just a cat!"

Bela slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again and looked at the ceiling as if waiting for an explanation from above. How could this man have any reputation at all? Not so good of a reputation, of course but still. Just unbelievable! He could be so childish at times.

Dean turned to Sam.

"So, Sammy, when do we expect your…" he cut himself off under Sam's annoyed look. "Sorry! When do we expect _Ruby_?"

"Any…" a knock on the door made them all turn their heads towards it and Sam finished, "…minute."

He looked questioningly at Bela and when she just shrugged her shoulders went to let their guest in.

"Why? Why he never can pick a winning lottery ticket?" Dean mumbled under his breath and shook his head.

"Well, well," he heard Ruby's familiar voice as the blond demon made her way across the hall. "Your headquarters, guys, finally became something…" the rest of the phrase died off as she saw Bela standing at the counter that divided vast space of her apartment into the living room and kitchen. "Sorry," Ruby looked back at Sam with regret. "It was too good to be true. I should've known better."

"Ruby," Dean smiled charmingly at her. "Nice to see ya!"

"So, what was the urgency?" She asked ignoring his greetings and looked at the three of them in turns. Always a shoptalk girl.

"Do you know how we can find Lilith?" Sam asked from behind her back.

"What for?"

"To call her for a poker game on Friday night of course!" Dean rolled his eyes in irritation. "What do you think?"

Ruby gave him a 'you-definitely-don't-wanna-know-_what_-I-am-thinking' look.

"I always told you that suicide is not the best thing to do."

"Is that the only option?"

"There are not so many of them, actually. Unless you have a really good plan."

"We have a really good Colt to start with," Dean flashed his famous 'million-bucks' smile at her but then suddenly turned back and frowned suspiciously at Bela. "Tell me you didn't do anything with it!"

"Didn't even try," she reassured him with a brilliant smile.

"Thank God!"

Ruby narrowed her eyes at Bela.

"It was you," she said.

"Depends on what you are talking about," Bela folded her arms on the chest. "But the chances are – yes, it was me. What are you talking about, by the way?"

"You stole the Colt."

Eyes glowing with outrage, Ruby went past Dean and straight to Bela who was not at all impressed by the demon's utter wish to dig her nails into Bela's throat. Instead she was watching Ruby approach with a hint of curiosity and amusement.

"Do you have any idea that you nearly got us all killed?"

"You mean even more killed than you already are?" Bela specified with her eyebrows raised expressively. "How's that possible?"

"We could've been long over with all that crap if it wasn't for you," Ruby hissed with resentment and by the looks of her one could suspect she was about to attack Bela. _For real_.

"Back off, Barbie! We all have our little sins, don't we?"

Ruby looked at Dean with disappointment.

"I see you're losing your grip," she commented.

"If you don't believe me about the Colt we check right now how it works," Bela offered as she turned to Dean, too.

Dean and Sam exchanged desperate glances.

"See? No reasons to be horrified by the cat," Sam said with fake optimism.

"I always knew they'd fancy each other."

--

Late at night Bela lay awake in her bed looking at the trembling shadows dancing on the ceiling. Severe thunderstorm burst out in the middle of the night and now she could listen to heavy raindrops beating against big windows of her bedroom. From time to time an old tree that grew right outside scratched its sharp branches against the windowpane making Bela shiver. She could not get rid of an image of hellhounds – the way she imagined them – clawing their way into her apartment.

That picture in her mind made Bela clutch on to her blanket so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Yeah, her imagination was definitely overgrown lately. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was nothing outside and she knew it because… because, damn it, the time did not come yet! But her heart was still pounding so loud that she could barely hear the roar of thunderstorm. Each beat sounded like it was counting out whatever time she had left.

Bela rolled over to her right side and fluffed the pillow. It didn't help. In the dim light of street lamps she could see steady raindrops hitting the windowpane and then flowing down in tiny streamlets. It was mesmerizing, almost hypnotizing. And it was a real help in calming down. Though she still couldn't help but think that the whole thunderstorm thing was some kind of a sign from above. A warning. Probably it was just her imagination, too. But Bela learned to believe in signs long ago just like she learned to trust her intuition. She wished she could check on her guesses but it was impossible as her Ouija board was hit by a stray bullet during her first encounter with Dean and Tarot did not seem trustworthy enough when it came to life and death matters. Spirits had their reasons to be decisive at times.

She knew Dean wasn't sleeping either. She could hear him pacing along the first floor. From the living room to the kitchen and back to the living room. Well, she couldn't be sure that it was Dean, but somehow doubted it was Sam, couldn't even picture it to herself.

It was weird to know that there was someone else in her apartment. It felt strange and… safe. Maybe Dean didn't care for her that much. He probably didn't give a damn. But he was here. Even if it was just for the Colt or because of that stupid hero complex of his – to help all and each – he still was pacing in her living room so that she could feel that she was not alone. It meant a lot.

She bit her lip. It wasn't her fault, Bela reminded herself. It wasn't her fault that there was no one in her life – like _ever_! – who could or at least _theoretically_ would care for her enough to help her feel comfortable in this cruel world. Who could possibly give their lives for hers the way Dean did for his brother. Just like that, without a hesitation and not asking for anything in return. Because he cared. Because Sam cared. Because they both knew what it felt like to know that there was someone in this world to rely on.

With a sigh Bela slipped out of the bed and after a short hesitation went downstairs. There was no point in suffering from insomnia all alone. She could use some company.

Dean was sitting in the living room on the couch dressed in his Levi's and white sleeveless shirt with Casper in his lap, scratching cat's head. Hard to say about Dean but Casper was definitely enjoying the hunter's company. Even in the lack of light Bela could see Dean's lips moving though everlasting thunder-peals muffled his voice. Dean Winchester was talking to the cat. To _her_ cat, in _her_ living room. Wasn't it the most ridiculous thing she'd ever seen? But it was cute. So cute that the look of him even caught her breath. Though she decided she'd never say him anything like that. Ever.

"How sweet!" Bela drawled mockingly in her usual communication-with-Dean-Winchester manner. "I see you're having fun here," she commented on the scene, hands on the hips and head inclined slightly to the left.

Dean stopped in the middle of the sentence and slowly turned his head to Bela.

First his gaze caught her bare feet with cute little toes – _that was what, a chain around her ankle?!_ - then slid up her long legs to thigh-long light blue shorts. He swallowed but made himself finish the survey past the t-shirt of the same color as the shorts and up to her face. Bela raised her eyebrows questioningly both amused and satisfied with his reaction. She looked fabulous, Dean thought, especially considering… well, lots of things.

"What, no silk and lace?" He smirked when he realized he'd been staring at her for way too long.

"They are for special occasions only." She flashed a radiant smile at him. "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Sorry, Bela, but we're having a man-to-man talk here. No girls allowed."

She ignored his words and sank onto the couch next to Dean.

"Yeah, I see you've finally found your intellectual match." Bela stroked Casper's back. "That's promising, don't you think?"

"Oh, you flatter me!"

"Flatter you? Dean, I have just insulted my cat," she looked at him with pity.

Never-ending game, Bela thought. No matter how they both felt or what they were thinking about they still kept on talking in mocks and teases. Even now, when they knew about each other almost everything. That was fun all the same. Some steadiness in their lives so filled with all kinds of events, mainly dangerous events, that sometimes in the evening it was impossible to remember what happened in the morning. She knew Dean enjoyed it, too. They were like cat and mouse, only changing their parts from time to time, depending on obstacles.

"What are you doing here?" Dean looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Shouldn't you be long enjoying your sweet dreams?"

Bela chuckled. "I have what, less than forty eight hours left? What's the point in wasting any of them on sleep? To look fresh and rested when the time comes to die?" She made a funny face at him.

Dean smiled bitterly.

"Join the club."

Another loud thunder peal cut them both off. Somewhere down the street car alarm turned on. As if trying to override this noise the wind started howling even louder.

"Where is Sam?" Bela asked just to say _something_.

"Surprisingly asleep," Dean hemmed.

"And this… thing?"

"Ruby?" He turned to look at her. "I see you're becoming very good friends. That's cute!"

"A bullet or two from being the best," Bela snorted.

He laughed softly.

"She left soon after you promised… hm, let's not repeat _what_ you said. Never would've thought you knew _such_ words, Bela."

"Did she say anything useful or simply let us all enjoy her company?"

"Well, yeah, she did actually. She said that there was a book, very old one. With charms and stuff. Chances are we can find something of use in there. Sam will try to track it down, see if we can get it."

"What book?" Bela asked with curiosity.

"Why? Consider you'd pinched it from someone?"

"Maybe," she admitted easily. "It's never too late to repeat the trick."

Dean cleared his throat and said the name of the book in Latin. In very bad Latin.

Bela frowned thoughtfully trying to recall any knowledge she might have. She had several orders for ancient magic books in the past and the one they needed was probably one of them. Could be.

Unique books were special category of her services. They were usually very, very hard to get – even for her – because if the owners of some magical objects might be unaware of what kind of treasures they possessed, those of the books knew everything quite often. They valued their belongings and kept them well guarded, sometimes with the use of charms. Bela even had to decline a couple of quite paying orders that could've added several hundred thousand bucks to her account when it came to retrieving such books if she knew she had low chances of brining them in alive. Payment would be of no use if she died in the process.

"No, sorry," Bela shook her head. "Never came across this one. Must be a real piece of gold, though." Her mind instinctively started to calculate the possibilities, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Stop looking like that," he warned her. "You're not gonna…"

"Save yourself, Dean," she cut him off coolly insulted by his hints. "We're not talking now about who's going to put their hands on a rabbit's foot or a damn mummified hand or… whatever. Several lives are at stake and mine is one of them. If I had any information about how _not_ to go to Hell, trust me, I'd share it with you right away." Bela gave him a 'don't-you-dare-say-anything-against-it-or-I-will-make-you-regret-it-badly' glance and then looked at her hands when common sense and instinct of self-preservation saved Dean from making a terrible mistake of producing any sound at all. "Are you scared?" She asked quietly after a little while.

"Of what? Battling the demons?" He snorted scornfully with feigned indifference in his voice. "Nah! Not a bit. Do it every day."

Bela looked him fully in the face.

"I was just wondering, Dean, how it feels for you to know that you're going to die so that someone else can live?"

Dean raised his eyes at her, too. His face hard and serious now. There were lots of things in his life that he regretted he did or wished he could've done some other way. He wished he didn't say lots of words he said and at the same time wished he said those that never came out of his mouth. But what he never regretted was saving Sam's life even by the price of his own. Not for a second. Given a chance to turn back time he'd do it again without a doubt.

"He's not 'someone else', Bela. He's my brother, that's the whole point. My life for _his_, not just anybody's." Dean looked at Casper in his lap. "It feels pretty fine, actually," he shrugged his shoulders. "Some things are worth dying for." He smiled wryly. "Still I'm worried about my car. Sam's a freakin' bad mechanic, can't even hold a spanner in his hand. He'll kill my baby in two days and won't even notice."

Bela looked at him trying to understand whether he was kidding or speaking seriously. "You're going to die and all you can think about is your car?" She asked just to make sure that it was exactly what he said.

"Yep. My biggest concern."

He was scared like hell, for God's sake! What an appropriate metaphor, Dean thought. But what was the point in whining around? Poor little Dean was going to suffer! He was going to lose his soul… like _forever_!

Oh, please, like he didn't know it from the start! He just made his choice because somewhere deep in his heart Dean knew – always felt it – that Sam was a better man to live.

"Are you ever going to stop pretending that it means nothing?" Bela wondered suddenly as if she heard what he was thinking about. "It's not the same as dying in your sleep. It's going to hurt. Probably. I don't know and, hell, have no wish to find out." She turned away crossed with inexplicable irritation in her own voice and started out of the window.

"Pretty damn likely." Dean agreed. "But we both knew what we were signing to, right?"

He sounded tired, Bela thought, like he was speaking about his own death sentence but wasn't yet ready to accept it. And who knew how many other nights he spent just like that, sitting somewhere all alone, thinking about the inevitable?

"Did you ever regret that you did what you did?" The question was so unexpected even for Dean himself that he only understood that he asked it out loud when Bela looked back at him again.

She didn't answer right away because the first impulse was to say firm _No!_ as she had never seen any other sides or consequences of her deed except for the most straight – free yourself now and go to Hell in ten years time. Simple and clear, that was how it had always been. Like black and white, good and bad or, considering her life style, – profitable and non-profitable.

That was how she lived for years. Until these damn Winchester brothers heaved in sight with damn Dean Winchester as the main pain in the ass and his stupid attempts to save this godforsaken world!

And now it all seemed like a very bad joke. Giving her something that was really important just to show how much she was going to lose really soon.

All these thoughts and memories rushed through Bela's mind fasted than the lightning speed. She only had time to blink and then the words came out of her mouth:

"Yes." She met Dean's eyes and added:

"Not because of _them._ I never gave a damn about how _they_ died. But because of..." she bit her lower lip giving herself a short pause. "The whole life seems so freaking meaningless when you know exactly the day and time of your own death. And you know that you can do nothing about it. So, all you _can_ do is live each day as fully as possible because whatever you do you always know that there will probably be no second chance. Do it now or never. That's what I regret, Dean. Not having my second chance."

Dean wished she didn't say anything like that.

"I thought we made it clear so far that no one's going to die."

Another lightning that illuminated the room with its pale ghostly light gave Bela a start.

"Do you really think it's going to work? With this book?"

"Why so shaky, Bela?" He couldn't stop but tease her. "Scared to go to Hell?"

"Been there," she looked gravely at him. "Not an experience I'd like to relive."

When he didn't say anything she got up to her feet.

On the way to the staircase Bela suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned back to Dean. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on."

"Back in the motel, would you really shoot me if it wasn't for a Devil's shoestring? If you didn't see it?" There was nothing but sheer curiosity in her voice. "Would you kill me?"

Dean hesitated for a moment. For a very long moment.

"Yes… maybe… I don't know." He ran his fingers through his hair, and then looked her straight in the eye. "I think I would."

Bela was honest with him. The least he could do was to be honest with her, too.

Standing there with his gun pointed at her head Dean was sure he'd pull the trigger. He wanted it really badly. That very moment his outrage and disappointment was too strong to just let her get away with all the mess she caused this time. He was furious at her with what she did, with what she said, with her stealing the Colt. Till the very last moment Dean believed that there was more to her than could catch the eye but when she confessed she did what he accused her of and when she said she didn't care it… Damn, it hurt like hell!

Couldn't hurt more even if she'd put a bullet in his head.

"Fair enough." Bela nodded having no reasons to doubt his worlds. She didn't expect that Dean would deny what she saw in his eyes a bit more than a day ago. Suddenly her lips curved into a small smile. "Still nice to see we're making progress. Did you notice?"

"What progress?" He frowned taken by surprise with her words.

"You let me into your car. And I let you in my apartment."

She gave him that trademark long and meaningful look of hers. The one what always made him feel like he missed something.

"Hey, Bela," Dean leaped up from the couch after her before she left. "Remember what you said the first time we met? I mean with you like you, not that hot brunette waitress." He smiled at the memory.

She raised her eyebrows.

"You mean the time when you broke in here?"

He nodded in admission of the fact and grinned. "It was my lucky day."

Bela gave out a short laugh.

"Before we started shooting or after?"

"Shortly before, I guess. About all of us going to Hell."

"Oh, that," smile faded away, voice sounded bitter now. How much time had passed since then? Six months? Seven at most. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "Well, yeah. Speaking from experience, you know. Why?"

Dean said nothing, just looked at her as if trying to memorize every single feature of her face, and then... Bela didn't even notice how it happened but the next moment he pulled her close to him in a quick move. His face was now not more than an inch from hers.

"Still feel like enjoying the ride?" He asked in a whisper.

And then his lips were on hers not giving Bela a chance for a second thought. They were hot and hard, demanding and yet so gentle. Dean tasted sweet like good wine and just like a glass of wine he made her feel light and dizzy. Bela felt his fingers running through her hair and wrapped her arms around his neck. _Thank God_, was the last sober thought for the rest of the night.

--

Dean came up to the king-size bed and squatted down at its left-hand side. Bela lay there sleeping, with her hand under her cheek and a slight smile on her lips. With her hair scattered about the pillow she looked so touchingly vulnerable and defenseless that just looking at her made Dean's heart jump up to the throat and then fall down and crash into small pieces.

How could it ever happen, he wondered for the millionth time already and not yet finding an answer. It was Bela Talbot, Dean kept reminding himself, a terrible pain in the ass, the most thriving and deceiving bitch in the world, with calculator instead of brain and stone-cold heart, ready to sell her soul to Devil himself to get what she wanted. He bet she could make the Hell freeze if she needed. And Dean always knew it because she made it clear from the start.

Hence even greater was the surprise to find out that it was not more than just a cover. Although if anyone told him that a couple of weeks ago he would laugh them in the face.

And now she looked so peaceful – and so damn beautiful! - that Dean hardly suppressed the wish to let her sleep and leave like that. Instead he reached out his hand and looped a stray of soft hair behind her ear. Then he gently caressed her cheek and smiled when Bela muttered something incomprehensible in her sleep.

"Bela," he called her quietly. "Honey, wake up."

When she opened her eyes it was like a stroke of lightning – unexpected, and bright, and shockingly terrifying. Dean suddenly realized that he'd do anything for her – die for her, kill for her. Anything at all. And she wouldn't even have to ask him to. And what was the most surprising - it wasn't only about sleeping with her. Although sleeping with her was, well, just fantastic, Dean admitted. But still there was something else to what he felt about her. Something that made his heart hurt like hell, something that made him stay awake for hours listening to her breath when she'd fallen asleep curled up together with him last night.

"Hi," Bela smiled sleepily at him. "What time is it?"

"Early," Dean replied. "I have to leave for a while, check on some stuff."

"Okay," she closed her eyes again not yet fully awake.

Dean paused for a moment.

"Bela…" he started.

"Mm?"

She opened her eyes when he didn't continue. "What?"

"Nothing." He leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips. "I'll see you soon."

Downstairs Sam was sitting on the high stool with his laptop on the counter and surfing Internet.

"Hey, Dean! Dean!" He called out when he saw his brother walking across the living room and right to the door. "Dean, wait!"

Sam nearly fell off the stool in his desperate need to catch up with Dean.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean grabbed his jacket from the couch. "How'ya doing? Any news?"

"Not yet but… Where are you going?"

"To Bobby's," he said. "That book Ruby told about, I think I heard Bobby mention it once or twice. Not sure but it worth checking."

"Did you try the phone?"

"Yeah, he's not picking up. Maybe forgot to pay the bills. Or he's out of city. That's why I wanna drop by, check his library or something. We don't have much time left to wait."

Sam nodded.

"Okay, I go with you then."

"No, you don't," Dean shook his head with a sneer.

"Dean, you can't be seriously thinking to leave me here," Sam whispered and cast a cautious look to the staircase that led to the second floor of the apartment.

"What's wrong with that?" Dean raised his eyebrows in pretended surprise.

"With Bela," Sam breathed out.

"So I've noticed. Listen, Sam, Ruby's going to show up in no time. Maybe she's having some news. Hopefully good. And the girls don't get along very well. One of us should stay here to smooth the edges."

"One of us?" Sam brightened up. "Okay, you stay here then and I'll go to Bobby's."

"Are you kidding? Stay here and watch two chicks turn this apartment into a battlefield? No way! Besides, how can I be of any help in smoothing the edges?"

That was true and Sam had nothing left to do but to admit it even if he didn't want to. Instead of smoothing the edges Dean would most likely start to stake on who'd gonna win first – Ruby with her demonic abilities or Bela with her… well, other prominent talents.

"So long, loser," Dean waved his hand at totally annoyed Sam. "Stay away from the firing line."

"Ha-ha!"

**To be continued…**

* * *

PS For those who probably wonder why Dean is so much worried about his car and not his brother – just remember who he is talking about it to :)))


	5. Chapter 5

Yeah, I know it's been quite a while since I updated the story but I've been on vacation – which was great, actually – and now I'm finally finished with Chapter 5. At first I planned it to be the last one but then… it's creepy how it works: you start writing and then cannot control it :))

Well, just read it! Hope you'll like it :))

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Dean pulled the car up in front of a familiar old house and quickly ran up the squeaky footsteps to the porch noting unexpected silence around, like the whole block suddenly died out. But a quick look around did not indicate anything suspicious. He knocked on the door with his knuckles and then turned the doorknob when no sound came from inside. Wondered why on Earth would Bobby ever leave the door open, though not really surprised by it.

"Honey, I'm home!" Dean called out into the dusky corridor in a high-pitched girly voice. Not that he was expecting for an answer. It didn't look like Bobby was at home.

"Hello, honey," suddenly came from behind him and Dean only had time to sharply turn around before the darkness swallowed him.

--

Bela woke up with a start, breathing heavily, as terrible images from her dream or, well, nightmare to be exact, were still way too vivid in her mind. Images of Dean being tortured. Images of Dean lying all alone on the cold floor in the darkness of a basement or a warehouse, bleeding to death. She could hear his heartbeat growing weaker and weaker until it stopped completely and his form became somehow limp and lifeless like a balloon without air.

Even in a dream the smell of dust and dampness was thick and filled her lungs. Bela was looking at the scene from above like she was a fleshless spirit or a cloud or _something_ floating in the air. She wanted to scream, to move, to call for Dean, or rush to him to check on his pulse but felt absolutely paralyzed like her arms and legs – if she had any at all – were tied by invisible ropes and no sound was coming out of her mouth… Bela felt panic, and fear, and total desperation caused by the thought that she couldn't do anything but watch him die…

She sat abruptly and turned to check if Dean was still there by her side although knowing that he couldn't be as the memory of earlier morning events burst into her mind. Dean had left several hours ago…

Bela jumped out of the bed and got dressed quickly, all this time dialing Dean's number on her mobile phone again and again. He didn't pick up. It was just a dream and nothing more than that, she kept telling herself. She was too tense lately, thought too much of dying and it was the only reason for dreaming about someone's death. That was what she tried to assure herself of understanding in the back of her mind that it was all a crap.

A quick glance through the window confirmed her suspicions – Impala was no longer parked on the driveway.

"Sam, where is Dean?" Bela asked – demanded – without a greeting once she was downstairs.

Sam was still sitting at the counter with a mug of coffee, a tenth one by the looks of coffee-machine, placed near his right hand, fingers moving quickly along the keyboard. Several books – books from _her_ library, Bela noted, – lay nearby. Well, she told them to feel like home.

"Good morning to you, too, Bela," Sam said flatly giving her a look out of the corner of his eye.

"Where. Is. Dean."

Bela grabbed him by the shoulder and made him look her in the face.

"At Bobby's," he answered automatically, taken aback by her gaze full of pure panic… and something else. "Should be," he added to be exact. "Why?"

"He's not answering his phone," she paused to take a deep breath before her voice became high-pitched and hysterical. "Call him," she asked Sam almost calmly and even added, "Please."

"I don't understand…"

"Call him," she interrupted with irritation.

"Listen, Bela, if my brother decided to help you because of whatever lies you told him this time it doesn't mean that I like it, or approve it. Or that I'll let you call the shots." He told her coolly and made an attempt to turn back to his computer doing his best to wave off the anxiety arisen by the worried tone of Bela's voice. Gee, _worried_ and _Bela_ in one sentence?

"I don't want to listen and go hell with your approval!" She didn't give up so easily; not that she ever did. People like Bela naturally never gave up; they could only change their mind but that wasn't the case. "Damn it, Sam, just dial the number of your irresponsible and arrogant moron of a brother, now!" Fury and annoyance swept over her, caused by Sam's stubbornness and incomprehension of the gravity of situation. "And tell him that if he is not picking up the phone only because he sees my caller ID he's so dead!"

"Okay, okay," he rolled his eyes, annoyed by her persistence.

Sam fished his mobile phone from the back pocket of his jeans, found Dean's number, pushed the dial button and put it to the ear, all under Bela's impatient gaze. "He's probably driving with the music switched on to the ear-drums crashing rate." He gave her a sidelong glance. "Be careful, Bela, you sound almost like you care. And we don't want anyone to think that you really have a heart, do we?"

She didn't say anything, just watched him intensely with lips pursed tight as Sam listened to the long signals in the receiver. Ten seconds, fifteen, twenty… As long as Bela remembered the ring tone on Dean's mobile phone he should be either deaf not to hear it or…

The knock on the door resounded right when Sam was about to hang up the phone as it seemed pretty doubtful that Dean would pick it up after more than thirty dialing tones. In the tense silence that was only disturbed by the soft ticking of antique clock that knocking seemed to be louder than the thunder peals that were shaking the whole apartment building the night before.

"See? I told you," Sam couldn't restrain a sigh of relief.

"Dean? Knocking?" Bela muttered in disbelief. "He never knocks. Doubt that he knows how to do it. Getting around the security system is more in his style."

"Could've bothered to open," Ruby walked into the living room with an old thick book in a worn-out brown leather cover in her hands and dropped it carelessly to the counter, nearly spilling Sam's coffee.

Bela stepped back, her hand automatically reached for the gun that was usually tucked behind the belt of her pants. Though it wasn't there now; she absolutely forgot about it and left it upstairs, let it lie peacefully in the upper drawer of the bedside table. Damn nightmare caught her off guard. Panic started to arise inside her as the realization of absolute defenselessness stroke Bela's mind. The image of Ruby blinked before her eyes from pretty young blond to something ugly and disgusting; something that she couldn't even find words to describe. Something that seemed very dangerous. She wished she had the Colt close at hand; had an utter urge to use it right away.

"What?" Ruby caught Bela's gaze.

"What is it?" Sam waved his head towards the book not giving Bela a chance to reply because he was way too well aware that any word could start an endless bickering with guns drawn and pointed at one another. Although by the looks of Bela he doubted she could say anything at all. A little less than 24 hours ago she didn't stare at the demon-girl like she was actually seeing… well, a demon.

"A book," Ruby smirked. "Not a comic book, though. Your brother wouldn't probably like it. Even assuming there are a lot of drawings in there."

"_Our_ book?"

"Yep!"

"Where did you get it?" Sam frowned.

He spent several long hours trying to find something of use in the Internet about that book, like who was the last owner or just general information on the spells in there. It soon turned out that the task was not as easy as he first thought. General information was way too _general_ and…

And now Ruby stood right there before them and that very damn book that Dean went for lay on the counter. Enough reasons to make him start worrying.

"At Bobby Signer's," Ruby answered simply and shrugged her shoulders matter-of-factly, totally unaware of Sam's thoughts. "What again?!" She asked with irritation when Sam and Bela exchanged strange glances and then both started at her.

"Have you seen Dean there?"

"Where?" Ruby cast a quick glance at the book as if really suspecting that Sam was wondering whether she'd seen his brother's face on the picture somewhere on the pages.

"At Bobby's, for God sake!" Bela bellowed impatiently.

"No," Ruby drawled expressively looking at Bela with disgrace. "Should I?"

"Actually, yes." Sam cleared his throat that suddenly became very dry. "He went there… for the book. Several hours ago." His voice dropped. "What did Bobby say?"

"Nothing. I mean there wasn't anyone to say anything. No Dean, no Bobby."

"So you just…"

"I just came in and helped myself with the book."

"How very nice," Bela muttered.

"How very familiar," Ruby nodded in agreement with understanding smile on her lips.

Bela folded her arms on the chest and was about to send that irritating hell bitch back to whatever hole she'd crawled from or at least out of her apartment when a crashing noise came from the hallway – like a picture fell off of the wall and it's glass screen shattered into pieces - followed by an outburst of familiar curses.

"Damn it, Bela, is it so hard to have _one_ door?" Dean grumbled and literary stumbled into the living room.

He was holding on to the side of his head with his hand slowly groping his way forward. He felt quite dizzy by the looks of him, of course if unsteady walk and his obvious wish to hold on to something for support was any indication. His jacket was torn on one of the elbows and covered in dust, and so were his jeans. There was stained blood on the left side of his forehead and a purple bruise on the jaw, but all in all Dean Winchester looked pretty much alive though totally pissed off by whatever caused these injures all over his face.

"Sweetheart, you look fantastic!" Ruby commented with a chuckle. "Whatever dump you came from now."

"Oh, shut up!" Dean winced at the sound of his own voice.

"Dean!" Sam rushed towards him; voice full of relief from seeing his brother alive mixed with deep concern about his look-alikes.

Bela, on the other hand, clenched her fists and stayed where she was, that is beside Ruby at the counter, though her first wish – not _too_ _obvious_ she hoped - was to follow Sam, or better push him aside, and make sure herself that Dean was all right. Well, whatever _all right_ he could possibly be in a state like that. As hard as it was to even think that way, but Ruby was right - he looked awfully.

"What the hell happened to you?" She asked instead with polite interest in her voice, trying to sound as cool as possible and with one brow raised expressively in that elegant manner of hers. "Had a date with a truck?"

"My head definitely did."

He touched his wound accidentally and said something like _holy_ _crap!_ through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean?" Sam helped him onto the couch where Dean leaned back immediately and closed his eyes with undisguised pleasure. "Where have you been?"

"The damn room is spinning like a friggin' carousel," Dean muttered under his breath. "Met an old friend, actually," this was addressed to Sam, Bela and Ruby. "Named Bobby," he added before any questions followed. "He looked so freaking creepy with those cute black demon eyes."

Sam gasped.

"Oh, God," Bela whispered almost soundlessly.

Ruby rolled her eyes with _Could this day get any better?_ expression on her face.

"You wanna say that Bobby's a demon now?" Sam asked, just in case. "But… how?"

"Believe me, dude, I _don't _wanna say that," Dean corrected him "But yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Not a friendly one, I must add. Attacked me all of a sudden, knocked me out cold for no good reason – well, for no good _human_ reason, - left me in that damn basement of his. Hate basements," he shook his head. "And don't ask me how; just take it that he didn't bother to explain."

"How very impolite," Bela commented dryly.

"Charming," Ruby rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sam gave Dean another worried look and then followed her when it became clear that however bad his brother looked he wasn't about to die any moment.

"To find out how such a crap could've ever happened," she snapped over her shoulder.

"Wait!"

Sam caught up with her at the very door and grabbed her by the arm forcing Ruby to turn to him. He threw half-impatient-half-anxious glance down the corridor and into the living room and then looked at her from above.

"I… thanks for the book," he cleared his throat.

"Anytime, cute-boy," her lips curved into a grin.

"And… hm, be careful, okay?"

Ruby snorted and slammed the door behind her.

Sam stared at it for a little while and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Would somebody stop that room from shaking, please?" Dean moaned.

"Oh, don't you be such a girl!" Bela replied with reproach.

She leaned against the counter with her palm under her chin and watched Dean from whatever distance felt safe with what she hoped was a mockingly-pitiful expression on her face. As if she really didn't care that much…

Damn, she did like never before! Her heart was still thudding faster than usually against her ribs. But with Sam and his creepy girlfriend around she had a _24/7-bitch_ status-quo to keep. Not that she seriously thought that Sam would never find out anything about her and Dean – if there was any _anything_ to worry about at all, Bela reminded herself, - but…

But Sam knew only one side of her story, that very one where she was a cold-blooded murderer and she'd preferred it to stay that way. And a cold-blooded murderer would never give a damn about a couple of scratches on a hunter's face.

"Gosh, man, how did you drive at all?" Sam wondered when he returned to the living room.

"Not on the sidewalk I hope," Dean muttered. "There was such a cute flowerbed…"

"Guess we'll learn it from the evening news, or a morning news-paper," the best sly grin that she could ever muster crossed Bela's face. "Depends." And she received heavy gaze from Sam.

But Dean's words still rang in her head. If what he said about Bobby was the truth – and he didn't look like a guy who would ever joke about such things – than they all were in a very serious shit.

--

Dean jerked away when Sam's rough fingers touched what he supposed would become a pretty unpleasant scar on his forehead and cursed silently.

"This is quite a nasty bruise you have here, Dean," Sam commented with a frown.

"So I feel!" Dean growled. "Dammit, Sammy, it hurts!"

"But we need to clean it up and… Gee, Dean, you're gonna look fabulous with that plaster on your forehead!" Sam chuckled and looked into the medical kit, which Bela retrieved from the kitchen and that was filled with all kinds of first-aid stuff. "Bet Bela has a whole lot of them in girly style. You know, pink with flowers, or hearts, or birds. Do you, Bela?" He cast her a curious glance and received a wide brilliant smile from her.

"Don't make me hurt you," Dean warned him and pushed Sam's hand away from his face.

"I have that ointment, helps with crashed faces and so on," Bela said. "It's in a locker in the bathroom down the hall," she raised her eyebrows at Sam – _directions are all mine, motions are all yours_. "And please do hurry up, before he started bleeding onto my couch."

When he was gone Bela took a half-turned seat next to Dean.

"It looks terrible," she said after studying his bruise.

"Feels damn terrible, too," he winced.

Bela ran her fingers gently along the left side of Dean's forehead and down to the temple carefully avoiding the wound.

He stilled at her touch, which felt like an electric discharge. Her fingers, unlike Sam's, were soft and warm, and under the concerned look of green eyes Dean even forgot for a moment – for a very short moment actually – about what he had to face lately, if it was at all possible to ever forget about it. He wondered whether she was aware of that concern and came to a conclusion that she probably wasn't.

But he was glad to see her.

Hell, it was such a relief to come back here and find her and Sam unharmed! All the way driving to Bela's place Dean feared to find them both bleeding on the floor or… worse. If human Bobby knew where she lived who knew what that creature inside of him was aware of.

"You know, scars usually make men look more heroic," Bela just couldn't help but tease him.

"Let's add a couple to your pretty face and see how you're gonna like it," Dean offered darkly.

"Now, now, no need to be so touchy," she tapped him on the shoulder soothingly in that condescending manner of hers. But then her eyes became serious. Bela brushed hair from his forehead. "Does it hurt that bad?"

"Yeah. Like someone hit me with a crowbar."

"What did he hit you with?"

"A crowbar."

She gave out a short laugh.

"Your imagination is striking, Dean."

He grinned with the corners of his mouth still feeling her thin fingers traveling mindlessly along his cheekbone and down the neck as she watched him. Dean smiled a little bit letting himself relax and enjoy these stolen moments of peace and serenity, feeling terribly guilty for that as if he had no right for even the slightest touch of happiness.

"Here, let me."

Bela took a cotton pad from the medical kit.

Dean winced and closed his eyes when she touched his forehead with something that felt cool and soothing against his skin. He had to admit that she was a better nurse than Sammy could ever possibly be and…

"See, nothing girly," Bela smoothed the plain beige plaster with her fingertips and nodded, satisfied with results.

Dean opened his eyes and cautiously touched the wound.

"What about the ointment you sent Sam for?"

"Well, I had to keep him occupied," she shrugged with a light smile. "What?" She asked when his face suddenly darkened. "What is it, Dean? When I said about the scars I meant it, I swear."

He smiled bitterly at her words.

"No," he paused for a moment. "It's Bobby. I… I never could have ever thought… Crap! Bela, he's always been there for us! Like a second father! Always helped us no matter what shit we were in." Dean looked away and clenched his fists in helpless outrage. "I thought it would be like that forever."

"It will be," she said softly.

"And now we're on different sides," he continued like he didn't hear what she said. "I am the one who's supposed to hunt him. Probably kill him… whatever," and shook his head with annoyance and regret.

"It wasn't his fault, Dean. Unless, of course, he was walking around with _Good body for possession_ written across his forehead." Bela made a funny face and smiled when Dean couldn't restrain his own smile. Well, that was a progress. At least she made him feel a little bit better. "We'll find away to save him," she whispered and rested her chin on his shoulder, fingers intertwined with his. "I promise."

Dean nodded not at all reassured by her words, but the fact of her saying them meant a lot more to him than she could possibly imagine.

"You know what? I won't let you go," Dean said quietly looking Bela straight in the eyes. "I won't let you die. We'll find Bobby, and Lilith, and… I don't know. But I won't let you go." He kissed her on the temple and then rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I won't."

--

Bela woke up in the middle of the night.

Full moon was shining brightly filling the room with its ghostly pale light. Curtains fluttered slightly in the wind that was coming through the open window.

She lay motionless for a little while feeling Dean's arm around her waist and his deep and hot breath on her neck as he slept soundly with his face buried into her hair. His chest was pressed against her back and Bela could feel it moving back and forth, his heartbeat almost as tangible as her own. No time, no space, no past, no future; just the two of them in the whole world, caught in a moment. She felt warm, and safe, and cozy, and her heart was almost breaking every time an unbidden thought of all of that being not more than just a fantasy crawled into her mind.

Almost unwillingly she inched backwards slightly, literary forcing Dean to tighten his grip on her as he made a silent noise full of absolute pleasure as he pressed the soft and warm form of hers closer to him. Not yet fully awake, Bela found his hand somewhere on her belly and covered it with her palm, feeling the heat of his body literary spreading all over hers. She went totally still trying to memorize every single bit of the moment – the way Dean's heart beat in unison with hers; his tight but gentle embrace; his smell; the weight of his arm on her waist – as if she was really expecting to remember any of that after… well, ever, in several hours time. And, God damn her, Bela was willing to spend these last hours of hers lying like that, without a movement, in his arms.

She must have moved somehow or sighed or… whatever, but Dean suddenly stiffened a little, letting her know that he was no longer asleep. But he didn't pull back, only readjusted his weight and let out a long sleepy deep breath burying his face deeper into the pillow and Bela's hair scattered all over that pillow.

"Dean?" She let out rather in a sigh than in a clear sound.

"Mm?" He pressed his lips lightly somewhere behind her ear. "You're so sweet," he muttered almost incomprehensibly as if he didn't mean her to hear his words, hence making Bela smile to herself.

She rolled over onto the other side under Dean's displeased growling caused by the interruption of the close contact and found herself lying face to face with him. He wasn't sleeping; she could say that for sure by the trembling eyelashes. His lips were curved into a small drowsy smile, short hair rumpled from sleep.

And then there was a moment… Dean's face all of a sudden blinked before her eyes and turned into a grey mask of a dead man, with demonic black eyes staring at Bela and an evil grin across his face. The grin that made chill run down her spine. The worst of all her possible nightmares clearly visible in the not so dark room. Bela's heart sank.

It lasted not more than half a second and then she saw Dean's peaceful features again but this short vision made Bela jerk back anyway, so abruptly that she nearly fell off of the bed. She would have if it wasn't for Dean's reaction. He somehow caught her sudden and unexpected move and grasped her tightly, eyes wide open and alert. Thank God, silk and lace forgotten, she was sleeping in a plain cotton t-shirt. His t-shirt actually, but _whatever_. Nothing slippery.

"Bela, what is it?" Dean asked in anxious whisper.

She opened her mouth but couldn't say a word, heart still pounding like crazy. Bela swallowed hard. She could have sworn that she had never ever been so close to a heart attack in her life.

"Bela?"

"I don't want to see… things," her voice was small and miserable, and she thought she sounded a little bit hysterical. Not _Bela-Talbot-like_. Not even anywhere close to _Bela-Talbot-like._

"Oh, God," Dean breathed out and then pulled her stiffen form closer to him, arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "Come here."

He leaned back taking Bela with him. He could feel her trembling slightly and heard her short convulsive breaths. She was scared to death. _Bela Talbot_ was scared to death. In any other situation he would've never missed the chance to comment on that. But not now. Anger, and fury, and desperation, mixed together, were rising inside Dean, ready to burst out any moment like a suddenly awaken volcano. He was sick and tired of all that hell stuff that kept on causing pain and suffering to the people he – a sidelong glance at Bela – _deeply_ cared about. Family, friends… more than friends. All his life. Always losing and never getting anything in return. And it was the last straw!

Bela cuddled up together with him with her face buried into his neck and her hand lying on his chest where she could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady under her palm. The magic of the moment when she had just woken up, all so happy and content, disappeared without a trace. She wasn't warm and cozy anymore. On contrary Bela suddenly felt that she was starting to shiver as if her blood froze in her veins.

"What… things, babe?" Dean asked quietly.

"Strange things, Dean." She told him about her dream and how it turned out to be something more than just a dream. "And now I looked at you and it wasn't real you."

Bela lifted her head as if to make certain that the man she was talking to was _her_ Dean and not somebody - _something _by the looks of it - else. He gave her a reassuring yet a little bit bitter smile and kissed her on the forehead.

"It is me."

"So I see." Bela scoffed, almost completely calm after sharing whatever worried her with Dean.

"You're creepy, you know?"

"Tell me that!" Then she frowned again and bit her lower lip, and that seriousness of hers suddenly seemed very cute to Dean in his light slumber state. "Do you know what these visions are about?"

Her question made him all grave, too.

"Never came across such crap, sweetheart." Dean shook his head with a sigh. His fingers traveled mindlessly in circles along her back. "In any other case I'd call Bobby because, hell, he always knew everything. Or knew how to find out."

"I'm sorry, Dean," she whispered.

"Me too. But we'll find out, okay? And after that, I swear to God, I'll kill that son of a bitch who did it to Bobby."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

Now, I promise the next one will be the last one :))) But this one is not.

Hope, you'll enjoy it, anyway.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Cool morning breeze made Dean wrap himself up more tightly in his jacket. He looked down the road and at the infamous crossroad where Ruby stood in the very middle of it looking with genuine interest at the earth under her feet, and chuckled.

"What do you think she's expecting to find there?"

He leaned against the hood of the Impala and took a sip of a take-away espresso.

Sam followed his gaze but ignored the question.

"Visions, Dean?" He asked. "What kind of visions?"

"Well," Dean threw a cautious look over the shoulder to make sure that Bela, who was standing across the road from them and talking on the phone, all business, couldn't hear their conversation, and lowered his voice. "Nothing specific. Just, you know, creepy stuff."

"Creepy like what?"

"Like at least one of them was prophetic."

Sam gave out a surprised whistle.

"That's not good."

"And the other…" _I saw her real self, demon self_, that was what Bela said about Ruby. "Doesn't matter. Anyway… Wondered if I could find something in here," he tapped his finger on the leather cover of John's notebook he'd been flipping through before Sam showed up. "Thought you might've heard about something like that, too, Sammy."

"Heard? Dude, I _had_ 'something like that'! Remember?" He snorted.

"What?" Dean blinked at him. "No! No, it's not the same. Hm, not really. Not caused by something in particular… at first sight." He frowned and shook his head.

"Give me that," Sam snatched the notebook from his hands. "They are _always_ caused by one thing or another. With an exception of consequences of demon attacks or schizophrenia…" he opened the record he'd been looking for, "…we still have at least half a hundred reasons. Say, evil Cinderella is trying to contact her wicked stepmother from the parallel universe by means of an innocent schoolgirl. You know the stuff."

Dean regarded him suspiciously.

"You suck, man, when you speak about fairy-tales."

Sam sneered in response. "What is this? A little morning chit-chat?"

"I want to be a smart-ass, too. So, tell me, what is it if a person, very human person, starts seeing… well, demons?" Dean continued matter-of-factly, as if he was asking about the weather.

"What are you talking about, Dean?"

"Theoretically speaking," he added quickly.

"Even theoretically, I'd say you stay away from such person."

"You mean you have no idea why it could be happening?"

"I tell you, man, there can be lots of reasons. Are you going to tell me why are you asking me that? Are you having visions or what?"

Dean hesitated.

"They are not exactly _my_ visions, dude," he confessed unwillingly with a wince.

"Whose are they, then?" Sam frowned. Another cautious glance cast at Bela and an innocent shrug was the answer. "Oh, great! Now she's not just a thieving and murderous _whoever_, she's also a psychic freak. Life's getting better and better! By the way, how you even…" Sam froze. "Oh, no, Dean, please tell me that you and her…"

Even without finishing the sentence he knew that his worst supposition was a direct hit.

"I can't believe it."

"What?!" Dean exclaimed defensively. "She's hot!" He grinned and received a reproachful look from Sam. Dean sighed then and lowered his gaze to the paper cup with the remains of his espresso as if looking for a hint in there. Found none, though. "Of course it's not about that, okay? It's something more. And don't you look at me like that, Sammy."

"Dean…"

"Listen, I know what you're thinking, because you're thinking it too loud," he smiled wryly. Years and years of close relationship taught Dean to read his brother like an open book, and now all Sam's emotions were obvious on his face. "But there is…" he paused for a moment. "There is something I can't tell you, I'm sorry, but I just can't. It's not my secret. And it… kind of changes everything."

Dean wished he could say more because, God knew, there was no other person in the world he trusted more than Sam. But still there were things that they'd both preferred to keep to themselves, for one reason or another. No matter how really close they were. And it was that very case when it wasn't Dean's choice at all, although he hoped that Sam would support or at the very least understand him anyway. He needed it now like never before.

Sam sighed, too, still confused a little bit about his own attitude towards what he had just learnt. It was just too much to take at once. Dean and Bela. It was insane! Like a bad joke. How could it be real at all? He would have been much less surprised to find out that Herbert Wells' "War of the worlds" came to life, Sam admitted to himself. In that case he would at least know somewhat approximately what to wait for, which was hardly possible when it came to dealing with Bela. Which was not good…

"Okay," he agreed nonetheless. "Hope you know what you're doing, Dean. Just… watch your back."

Before Dean could react somehow to his words, Bela came up to them, mobile phone clutched in her hand, with her arms wrapped around her own shoulders and her cheeks pink from the morning coolness.

"Can anyone please be so kind to tell me what _the_ _hell_ are we doing here at 6 am in the morning?"

"Healthy lifestyle," Dean flashed her a brilliant smile.

Bela looked at him skeptically.

"And how is sitting at the hood of your car and drinking coffee can be healthy?" She snatched his coffee, took a sip and winced. "It's cold."

"You could've stayed at home," Sam interjected dryly.

"And miss all the fun?" She raised her brows at him.

"Ruby said it was important," Dean replied and yawned. "And give that back!" He reclaimed his paper cup.

"Important," Bela mimicked him not even bothering to look in Ruby's direction. She knew she wouldn't see anything pleasant anyway.

Dean looked at her somewhat suspiciously.

"You look like you have just won a lottery," he commented.

"Lottery is a matter of luck, Dean," she answered pettily. "Only losers count on luck."

He hemmed and in the spirit of maintaining peace decided not to remind her of some episodes from their mutual past.

"So, what is it then? What else could possibly make you shine like a bulb?" He couldn't help but tease her, out of curiosity mostly, and a bit out of something else. Something Dean didn't really like. Like, who the hell she could possible talk to at 6 am in the morning?

Bela threw a quick glance at the phone in her hand and shrugged.

"Tracked down a seller, who knew a hunter, who came across that buyer, who…" she cut herself off. "That's a long story, and pretty boring."

"You'll never change," Sam looked at Bela with disgrace.

"Why should I?" She regarded him expressively, chin raised high with a challenge.

Dean coughed into his fist in an attempt to hide his laugh.

"Yeah, right." Sam tucked his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket and smirked with a lopsided grin. "But why didn't you look into your inner self for an answer instead of spoiling someone's morning by an early call?"

Bela responded him with a venomous grin and looked at Dean.

"Thanks for telling him. Who else doesn't know?"

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," he shrugged and sent her his best broad smile.

"We have to do it here," Ruby joined them shaking off the dust from her palms and not really caring for the tension that hang thick in the air.

"Do here what exactly?" Dean blinked at her.

"Have a party, honey. With you and your current landlord as a main course, and Lilith as VIP-guest." She inclined her head and looked appraisingly at him, from head to toe and back to head. "Do you understand with that single convolution of yours what an attack on Bobby Singer means?" Her voice was soft and patient as if she was speaking to a five-year old.

"That they crossed the line."

"No, moron, first of all it means that they stopped fooling around. Now they are damn serious and angry." Ruby corrected him with a pitiful look.

"Yeah, sure, and before that we were all having so much fun!" Dean rolled his eyes.

Ruby folded her arms on the chest.

"Take it they are not only after you and, apparently, Sam," she cast Sam a meaningful look accompanied by a charming smile. "It is now a point of honor for them to have your heads on stakes."

"And where does this optimism come from?"

"Dean," Sam started warningly.

"Okay, okay," Dean raised his hands into the air, giving up. "Why here? Why not on the lawn right in front of White House?"

"Because this place is an intersection of powerful magical energies, and I owe you an apology if there are too many smart words for you in one sentence," Ruby sounded almost like she really _was_ sorry.

"Ha-ha!" Dean made a funny face at her. "So, what do we have? All-killing knife, all-killing Colt, a book…"

"And the four of us against a couple of hundreds of them," Bela finished for him. "Hell, it's not fair! We should give them a start; otherwise our inevitable victory would be too quick and too obvious."

"Do you ever get tired of being such a smart-ass?" Ruby winced at her.

"No. Do you?" Bela cocked her head with eyebrows raised questioningly.

Ruby stared at her intensely for several moments with narrowed eyes. Dean seriously suspected that this time they would not avoid blood bath but then Ruby stepped back and touched the sleeve of Sam's jacket.

"Can I have you for a sec?"

"Sure," he regarded Bela unpleasantly and followed Ruby.

"Your brother doesn't like me, Dean," Bela half-smirked, half-sighed with sham regret at Sam's back.

"First things first, sweetheart," he winked at her. "As soon as we're finished with freaking saving our lives we start planning our family Christmas dinner."

--

"Crap, what takes them so long?!"

Dean looked at his watch, then out the window, and then at his watch again. He was so nervous that his tension was almost tangible.

More than two hours had already passed since Sam and Ruby left for something that Ruby said would be of help against Lilith. By Dean's calculations they should've been back for at least an hour already. Whatever shit Ruby was talking about, what on Earth could possibly take them so long?!

The Impala was parked at the roadside, about twenty meters from the crossroads, which was empty and silent at the moment. No one and nothing moved in the darkness. But this emptiness and silence somehow seemed even more sinister than if there was a whole army of demons.

With music long turned off and forgotten, as it was too distractive, Dean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel fighting with an urge to check if his watch was working at all.

Bela sat on the passenger's seat near the window with her forehead rested against the smooth and cool glass, and her arms folded on her chest. It was ridiculous, she thought. Sitting here, waiting for a miracle. Like there could possibly be any miracle at all! She felt lump starting to form in her throat and her eyes began to burn. And she had to take a deep breath and hold it to... okay, just in case.

"You know, there was this summer," Dean spoke suddenly in a low voice, "I was 10 and Sammy what, 6? Yeah, just turned 6. We were with Dad on a hunting trip. Didn't know the shit yet, though. But, anyway, it was fun all the same, this driving around the country." Bela didn't turn to the sound of his voice and knew he wasn't looking at her either; wasn't even sure whether he was talking to her or to himself. "So, we were coming back from hunting… I guess that was what it was because Dad was somehow calm and we weren't in a hurry or something. Were crossing Vermont, and once we were passing these lakes Sammy asked Dad for a close look." Dean paused scrolling the images in his head. "Dad wasn't really thrilled with this freaking picnic crap. But he gave in when Sammy promised to behave, and it was awesome after all. We had a tent and we even tried fishing. Do you have any idea what fishing without a freaking rod looks like?" He chuckled; now, more than fifteen years later even the idea of that caused nothing but wish to laugh out loud. But he didn't want to laugh. "It is my brightest memory of the three of us as a family. I mean before I found out about…" He shrugged as his voice trailed off, and honestly there was no need for him to continue. "They are going to kill Sam if I try to wiggle out of my deal."

Bela whipped her head round, not surprised but actually shocked, though Dean paid no attention to the effect caused by his confession. He just stared out the windshield.

"I didn't know that," she said quietly, totally confused.

"Yeah, small print in the end of the contract," he smiled bitterly with the corners of his mouth. "There's always something to make this frigging life more exciting." She had nothing to say against that. "From the very first moment Sam found out about the deal he kept on saying that I didn't give a damn, never took it seriously. Accused me of giving up too easily, of not fighting. But how could I? How could I even try and take that frigging risk?" Another shrug. "And what really pisses me off is that whatever we're doing here now is probably going to get us all killed."

Bela snorted.

"Thanks, Dean! That was exactly what I wanted to hear a couple of hours before midnight."

He turned his head and gave her a sad and apologetic look, the way only Dean Winchester could.

"Sorry. Don't listen to my babbling, really. Come on," he gestured at Bela to move closer to him and put his arm around her shoulders as she did so.

She snuggled up to him as close as possible with her head rested on his shoulder, and looked out the window at the shades of night and the dark forms of trees that were rocking in light breeze. Dean's fingers were playing mindlessly with her hair as he hummed something under his breath. _Metallica_? Gee!

Two hours left, Bela reminded herself. Was it ticking of Dean's watch she could hear or was it the sound of her time running out?

Her gaze stopped at the Colt that lay on the dashboard right before her eyes; its metal parts glowed faintly against the darkness of the Impala's interior. She made her choice when she didn't give it away. The stupidest choice she'd ever made in her life, Bela presumed. But still…

"Dean?" She said quietly feeling a bit drowsy. The heat of his body was making Bela feel alive. And very, very sleepy, too. "I wanted to say thank you…"

"So, you _can_ say it after all!"

"Shut up, please," she asked. "You're ruining the moment. I wanted to thank you for… helping me, although you didn't have to and probably shouldn't… "

"Yeah, but I'm Prince Charming in shining armor." He grinned smugly.

"…and for not telling Sam what I told you," Bela continued.

"Speaking of my white horse…"

"Dean!"

"Only dare to offer me your bloody money and you'll have to stuff them up…" he started to warn her.

"I go it!" Bela interrupted him and struggled to hold an urge to shake her head… and to smile to herself. Dean had just said the most pleasant thing she'd ever heard in the most terrible way one could ever imagine. Very _Dean-Winchester-style_, she had to admit.

Instead she felt his lips press for a moment to the top of her head.

"Hey, we're gonna be fine, you hear me? All of us," Dean whispered somewhere into her hair. Probably the biggest lie in his life. "You're not dying, Bela. Not while I'm alive. You know what? I wanted to shoot you myself, many times. I even considered the possibility of a slow and painful torture, and it was tempting." He heard her chuckle softly under her breath. "But hell if I ever let anyone do it to you. It's kinda my privilege from now on."

His words made Bela give out a short giggle.

"Because I'm your girl?"

Dean sneered scornfully.

"Oh, _please_, cut this chick-flick crap, sweetheart!" Thank God she didn't see his goofy smile! "Because you're my royal pain in the ass, that is why, but that's details," he looked at his watch impatiently once again. Less than two hours left. "And because I…" Suddenly Dean strained himself causing Bela to raise her head from his shoulder and look intensely outside. "Here they are!" Dean sighed with relief and was the first to slide out of the car. "Where the hell have you been?!"

Bela followed him closely as she saw two figures emerge from the shadows.

"Sorry, Dean," Sam replied, his breath was heavy from jogging or brisk pace. "Had to cover our trail somehow."

"But you did bring that… whatever you wanted to bring, right?" Dean frowned.

Her heard Bela's footsteps on the gravel behind him.

"Yeah."

Ruby tossed him a little leather bag and Dean reached his hand out automatically to catch it. The sachet, which appeared to be heavier than it looked from aside, landed right in the middle of his palm.

"What kind of crap is that?" Dean took a close look full of pure curiosity at the object.

"An addition to the book," Ruby smirked. "The spell might not work properly without that powder… And believe me you don't wanna know what it is made of."

"That's true, you don't," Sam nodded.

"Of grinded bones, and dried bat wings, and cremated frogs," Dean mumbled gloomily. "Old story. But I don't really mind if you save the secret. Some things are freaking bad for appetite." He looked at Ruby. "So, you say this stuff's gonna work with… dead-things powder?"

"Dunno," she shrugged her shoulders. "This isn't gonna work, nothing's gonna work."

--

"So what, we just stand here like a couple of jerks?" Dean asked, not at all excited with the idea.

Sam drew a circle, about two meters in diameter, in the very middle of the crossroads and added several symbols along its outer borderline – those that he found in the book. Drew it all with that strange-looking grey powder from the leather bag, that, in Dean's opinion, consisted of something really disgusting. Still he didn't really care if it could help, which, to tell the truth, he wasn't pretty much sure of.

After all preliminary preparations had been made, Sam told Dean and Bela to take places inside the circle. And that was exactly what pissed Dean off. He didn't get a single word of Sam's earlier explanations on why the hell this would even work in the first place, but it turned out that Lilith and her little army of demons could not be simply killed by the Colt – even if they really _had_ enough bullets – or Ruby's magic wand… sorry, knife. Well, whatever. But that at least would be an action! A fight! Standing in the circle back to back with Bela, on the other hand, seemed nothing but ridiculous.

"I'm so not feeling good about that," Dean muttered loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"Just turn on your brains, smart boy," Ruby advised him with irritation. "It's the two of you to be saved, not the two of us."

"You seemed to mention that it wasn't a sure thing," Dean reminded her, annoyed by the demon's mocking voice.

Besides, the idea of standing in the open and being a perfect target made him… well, jittery, at the very least.

"You have any other bright ideas, I'm all yours, sweetheart."

"Would you two shut up please?" Sam bellowed at them. "I'm kind of trying to concentrate here!"

Dean gave him a gloomy sidelong glance but didn't say anything.

A demon and a smarty. A combination too absurd to comment on. Not that he didn't trust Sam but still preferred to keep his eyes open on Ruby. Whatever his brother was thinking or saying about his… _hell-_friend. Dean hemmed to himself. Sam would kill him for such thoughts about that blond demon chick. But even if he trusted her that much it wasn't a one hundred per cent guarantee that it wasn't a booby trap of some kind anyway.

When Sam moved back to where Ruby stood in the shades of the trees, away from the gravel covered crossroads, Dean slipped his hand in Bela's and intertwined their fingers. Hers were cold as ice.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Assuming that theoretically I have - what? Thirty minutes left? - I'm actually perfect," Bela squeezed his hand back and even mustered a short laugh that sounded a bit more nervous than she wanted. "Still wonder why am I not saying goodbye to Casper or drinking chilled champagne while lying in chaise longue somewhere on Tahiti."

"That's a freaking boring way to go," he smirked and tightened his grip around the Colt.

Ruby's knife stayed with her.

"Always wanted to pass away glamorously and with chic."

"Oh, crap…" Dean muttered suddenly.

"What?"

"Look," he poked his finger somewhere to the left.

Bela's stomach clenched uncomfortably when she turned her head into that direction.

Dark shadows around the crossroads started to thicken, shaping into quite solid figures. They were barely visible but Bela could have sworn that she was feeling their eyes on her with her very skin. Demons. All coming after them.

"Oh, crap," she repeated after Dean.

--

"That's them, right?" Bela asked in a voice full of utter horror, gun drawn and a finger on the trigger, ready to pull whenever necessary. Dean said it was useless; they'd only get angrier. She didn't care.

Behind her she felt a movement and heard a very characteristic clinging telling her that the Colt was pointed at these nasty things, too.

"Yes, Lilith's closest friends by the looks of them."

"Then why are they not attacking?"

"Because of Sam's crappy drawings, I guess," he shrugged. "He's a hell of an artist but it seems pretty much enough for the hell bitches."

Back in the shadows Sam and Ruby stood near the Impala with their noses buried in the book. If they were aware of the demons all around them none seemed to make any problem of it. That was mutual though. None of the demons paid any attention either. All their gazes were locked on the couple in the middle of the crossroads but something prevented them from moving forward.

Bela swallowed hard, eyes scanning the ward of demons.

"What about Lilith? Do you think she's here, too?"

"Not bloody likely," Dean snorted. "Doubt she's doing dirty job herself. But the bitch'll show up, I'm sure. Gosh, I almost hope for that."

The tension was so thick that it felt nearly tangible in the air. Every breath felt like the last one, leaving them without strength at all. Eyes sore from long and unblinking staring into the darkness and at the motionless forms that almost merged with the shades behind them, hands in which the guns were clutched trembled a little. Both were tired and impatient from intense waiting.

Twenty-three minutes left, Bela noted absentmindedly. She wondered somewhat with curiosity what they were going to do when the hellhounds come for her, having no idea if Sam's poor attempts to save them from Lilith could help against these creatures the way they were holding the demons at a distance. Wondered if there was anything at all to hold them back. Wasn't even one hundred per cent sure about Devil's shoestring, as she had never had a chance to check it.

Sudden movement – not even a real movement but rather a thickening of darkness right before her – caught Bela's attention and made her strengthen her grip on the gun. Something was there, right outside the circle, not more than ten feet away from her. Something very evil. She could feel the waves of anger and hatred radiating from it. And to her own surprise they felt somehow familiar.

And then all of a sudden Bela saw _who_ was standing there. Chill ran down her spine.

"Dean," she whispered barely audibly but in absolute silence he couldn't not to hear her voice.

Totally aware of her change of state Dean turned slowly trying to guess whether it was a wise idea to turn his back to the whole lot of _something_… wondered if it could provoke an attack, but yet ready to take a risk as Bela made a little step backwards – unwillingly, most likely – and now her back was pressing hard against his. Something she wouldn't do just because.

Not so good of an idea, Dean thought the next moment he saw what made Bela so anxious. He froze at the sight of a broad-shouldered man with a beard whose eyes were locked on Bela's face. His lips were curved into an evil grin. Bobby, still very much not his real self, was staring meaningfully at her as if the two of them had a silent conversation.

And when he spoke it was a familiar and yet so different voice. Well, it was rather a different tone and manner to speak, Dean corrected himself. Bobby – real Bobby, his Bobby – would have never spoken like that, promising hell on earth to the one he was addressing with only expression of his eyes. Not even demon eyes yet.

"Hello, Abby," he growled, Cheshire-cat smile stretched his lips even wider.

And Bela's small voice followed, rather shocked:

"Daddy?"

**To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

As I promised before, this is the last chapter.

So, no extra words! Just enjoy :)) And tell me what you think :)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Oh, God_, rushed through Dean's mind although it obviously had nothing to do with God. Not at all, quite on contrary. But, being caught by surprise, he just suddenly forgot everything he could have said in a situation like this. Hell, he could not imagine a situation like this even in his worst nightmare!

"Knew you'd show up some day," Bobby nodded, satisfied that his assumption turned out to be true. "How could you not?"

Bela froze to the spot.

It was so strange, so weird… No matter what she was seeing - thank God she was not seeing Bobby's face like Dean and Sam, otherwise she doubted she would be able to look at him ever again! – Bela still heard _his_ voice in her head; saw _his_ eyes looking at her. And she was no longer Bela Talbot, a successful, independent and pretty much fearless young woman who used to think that the whole world belonged to her. These eyes were making her a little girl once again. And once again, as many years ago, she wanted to cower and crawl somewhere, where no one would be able to find her. She was weak and vulnerable just like then under this resentful gaze.

"Don't look at him!" Dean jerked Bela away and made her move behind his back, the Colt pointed right at Bobby, or whoever he was, though Dean knew that it was not bloody likely he would pull the trigger. Ever! It was Bobby, for God sake! Somewhere there was his friend, the one who still could be saved… probably. "And you," he waved his gun a little, as if shooing the demon away, "you mind your own business and stay away from her."

"I've been waiting for you, Abby. I knew it wasn't a bloody car accident back then," Bobby continued while looking at Bela over Dean's shoulder. The Colt did not impress him at all – like he knew about Dean's thoughts, - and although he could not cross the line drawn by Sam he wasn't about to leave either. "It was your fault, like it was always your fault. You have always been a very bad girl, spoilt girl." And he gave out a short laugh, more even a sharp bark.

"Damn, it!" Dean muttered. It was smart, he had to admit. Cruel, yes, but still smart. "Sammy!" He called out loud not taking his eyes away from… whatever Bobby Singer was at the moment.

"What?"

"We've got a problem here."

"Really? No kidding? And I thought we've got at least one hundred problems."

"Oh, this one is a real pain in the ass, believe me. So, drop whatever you're occupying yourself with and come here with holy water and stuff. Now!"

Out of the corner of his eye Dean saw Sam turn his head in their direction, that pale stain which was his face against that blackness all around them. Sam quickly said something to Ruby and then ran to Dean and Bela, a gun pointed at the figure he obviously did not recognize because he could not see Bobby's face from where they were standing.

"Be careful," Dean warned him when Sam came closer.

"I've got Ruby's knife," Sam told him.

"No! No, we… we need to try to exorcise him. To get that son of a bitch out of him…"

"Out of…" he started and that was that very moment when he finally saw the familiar profile and a trademark beard, and not so familiar smirk, too, and froze to the spot. "Jesus," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, we could use his help, too," Dean agreed.

"It's Bobby…"

"Just like I told you. Where's Ruby?"

It was easy to pretend that Dean's words about Bobby were just a bad joke until Sam saw him with his own eyes. That kind of turned the whole world upside down.

"She can't come anywhere close unless we break the circle," he replied automatically, kept on staring at Bobby, eyes open wide. "She's still a demon."

"And how could he?" Dean waved his head at Bobby.

"No idea. Ask him if you want."

"Doesn't matter! Just do it fast, okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah… right. Stay where you are."

Sam took out a cross on a silver chain and a flask with holy water from his pocket. Eyes never leaving Bobby's face, he started to read the spell words in Latin.

At the first sound of them Bobby turned to Sam with a vexed growl. His eyes narrowed in outrage as he clenched his fists and started to move in the young man's direction. Sam made several steps back, careful not to erase the symbols on the ground as the demon seemed to be avoiding them. Although he still wondered in the back of his mind why they did not hold Bobby away like the others and, apparently, Ruby.

Dean was turning on the spot, too, following Sam with an intense gaze and ready to send to hell any warnings if there appeared any threat to his brother.

The more Sam read, the slower Bobby moved towards him. They had barely made half a circle around Dean and Bela when Bobby stopped in his tracks, and so did Sam. And that was his mistake because the next moment Bobby suddenly jumped at him with an angry grumble. Being caught by surprise Sam stumbled and lost his balance, and stopped speaking, too.

Dean's reaction was fast. The same moment when Sam was attacked he crossed the borderline of the circle and rushed forward towards Bobby.

Yet Bobby was faster than that, either because of his years of experience, or because of his new demonic abilities. Anyway, Dean barely managed to make a couple of steps when Bobby sent him flying backwards with a strong punch in a jaw, something Dean didn't quite expect. The Colt fell out of his hands and after a short fly landed right at Bela's feet that very moment when Dean himself landed onto the ground with a painful moan.

"No!" Sam shouted and jumped up to his feet.

But Bobby was obviously expecting something like this. He pushed Sam hard into the chest and sent him back to the ground once again; the cross and the flask lay now at least ten feet away from him, far beyond the reach of his hand.

"Back away from him!" A cold voice ordered.

Bobby paused and turned slowly, lips stretched into a broad smirk.

Bela stood at the very borderline of the circle, yet not keen on crossing it, the Colt clutched strongly in her hands and pointed straight into the demon's head. Eyes cold and firm as steel, and a finger on the trigger. Out of the corner of her eye Bela saw Dean trying to get to his feet and suppressed the wish to sigh with relief as Bobby's blow, by the looks of it, could have been fatal. Still, she never turned away from Bobby catching his ever breath, every move.

"You're not going to kill your old friend," he said, one hundred per cent sure of himself.

"Oh, believe me, I am," Bela disagreed immediately with a chuckle. "I am not as sentimental as they are," she waved her head slightly towards the brothers. "You, of all people, should know better. Had it been somebody else in an old friend's body I would probably think twice. And yet again the key word is _probably_, but you…" her voice was breaking with emotions but she managed to keep it firm, years of pretense perfected that skill. Besides, the weight of the Colt in her hands made Bela feel almost undefeatable. "I guess you have never had any idea of how many times I wanted to do it, to cause you as much pain as you did to me. It could be my second chance."

"No, Bela! Don't!" Dean shouted but neither Bela, nor Bobby seemed to hear.

"You have always been weak, Abby," Bobby sighed with disappointment mixed with disgust. "That's why you've never been worthy of anything better than you had!"

"Oh, you'd be surprised how terribly wrong you are," Bela gave him his best brilliant smile, eyes cold as ice. The single thought of being able to put a bullet right between her torturer's eyes made the conversation almost pleasant. "Just remember that I used to do some things you never expected me to in the past."

"So, I was right after all," he hissed at her. "You did it! It was you who killed us, little bitch! You deserve going to Hell after all!"

"Really?" She cocked her head to one side, voice sounded mockingly now. "Well, you know what? Sending you there ten years ago worth following you now myself, _Daddy_."

Too occupied with their dialog, none of them noticed Dean and Sam who were now closing in on Bobby from two different sides, a cross and a flask with holy water back in Sam's hands, alongside with a painful grimace on his face as he held on to his right shoulder.

The moment they were close enough they suddenly jumped forward and caught on to Bobby's hands. He struggled severely but the factor of unexpectedness played its role – even assuming that physically demon-Bobby was much stronger than human Dean, the elder Winchester still managed to grab Bobby's arms behind his back and hold him like that long enough for Sam to finish the ritual.

When the black fog came out of Bobby's mouth accompanied by a scream full of pain and Bobby fell to his side, obviously unconscious, Dean sighed with relief and let himself relax as well. Still, he checked on Bobby's pulse before he turned to Sam, breathing heavily from that enormous tension.

"You okay?" He asked and tapped Sam on the shoulder.

Sam's eyes full of disbelief and confusion were still on Bobby's still form. It was just almost impossible to believe in what he was seeing with his own eyes. Add to this that weird conversation between him and Bela where he could only understand separate words but not the whole meaning, and that would be more than enough to send his head spinning.

"Yeah, right, fine… just… Bobby? Why? I don't get it, it's too impossible and crazy and…" his voice faded away and he only shook his head.

"Too much to explain."

"Dean," Sam waved his head at Bela who was still standing motionless with the Colt pointed at absolutely harmless Bobby.

"Right, check on him, okay?"

Dean made sure that both Sam and Bobby were as much all right as they could only be – aside from Sam's injured shoulder and a bump on Bobby's head - and hurried up to Bela, thinking about an urgent need to take an aspirin, or Tylenol, or something along the way. Bobby had always been strong so it was just a matter of pure luck that he didn't break Dean's jaw with his punch, though it could still result in some kind of concussion, which was the last thing Dean wanted to think about at the moment.

"What the…" he heard Bobby grumble behind his back. Thank God he was alive! "What's going on? Sam?"

"Hey, it's okay, it's me," Dean came up to her. "It's over now, you're safe." His voice was soft and soothing. "Give me that." Carefully he lowered her arms, took the Colt from Bela's grip, checked on it and then grabbed her with his free hand and pulled her to him before he even realized what he was doing. "It's just Bobby there and no one else."

She let out a long sigh into his chest and let Dean hold on to her for a while, her stiff form became somehow limp. God, it was one of the most horrible moments in her life, Bela thought. What could possibly be worse than a nightmare come true? The worst nightmare that came true once again when you least expected it, she knew it for sure now.

"What the hell is this all about?" Bobby asked looking around with genuine surprise.

He had vague memories of what he was doing over the last couple of days – alongside with a terrible headache the source if which was still to be discovered, - remembered even attacking Dean in the hallway of his house, but at the same time it felt pretty weird as if these were someone else's memories. Creepy, really… And the crossroads, and Bela… Bela? What on Earth she was doing here… with … was that _Dean_? Gosh, he definitely missed something really big!

Sam threw a quick glance at his watch and then another one, over his shoulder, at Ruby.

"I'll explain everything later," he promised quickly. "But now there is something urgent to be done and I really need your help, Bobby." Bobby nodded. "Dean! You cross that line again and I swear to God I'll kill you myself," Sam warned him.

"A simple _thank you for saving my ass_ would be enough, Sammy," Dean echoed.

"Sit tight!"

"Okay, got it!" He looked down at Bela. "You got it?" She nodded. "We got it!" And added in a mumble. "Now we're really gonna have a freaking party."

"Dean, look," Bela touched his hand and then poked her finger somewhere to the right.

Dean turned his head in that direction.

"Lilith," he whispered.

--

A beautiful little girl, not more than 10 or 11 years old, in a white flimsy dress and with a bright pink ribbon in her hair that looked too much out of place, all angel and innocence, was a remarkable spot among the dark forms of other demons around her. In contrast with them she looked like she was shining from inside. Still, it was eerie. Her face was serious and determined, which would definitely seem cute had it been any other ordinary child.

Dean gave a quick glance to Sam to make sure that the three of them spotted Lilith, too. They did.

"Okay," Dean drawled. "Let the show begin. One direct shot right in her pretty little head and…" He drew the gun.

But that very moment when Dean was about to pull the trigger something strange happened. A terrible and severe wind started to blow all around them. It was so strong that age-long trees were bending under its howling blasts as if they were not thicker than the rods. It was so unexpected like someone invisible was waiting for a special moment to turn the handle and switch that hurricane on.

Even stranger was that the wind appeared to blow only outside the circle where Dean and Bela stood, both frozen to the spot, not inside it. The air around the two of them was motionless and still, like there was a bell glass over them. They could perfectly see everything around and yet stayed away from it.

Chill ran down Dean's spine and he caught his breath unwillingly. He could see the wind nearly tearing Sam's jacket off of him. Bobby's baseball hat was long taken away by the wind and disappeared in the sky. Bobby himself grabbed on the nearest tree with one hand to stay on his feet, the other one was seizing Sam's jacket tight. Ruby held on to Sam's arm with her both hands, otherwise she would most likely follow the damn hat with that slender build of hers. The dust, and leaves, and dry grass were rising from the ground in small whirls making the visibility very low.

"Sammy!" Dean called out loud but the sound of his voice was somehow muffled as if whatever shield surrounded him and Bela consumed it. "What the hell is going on?"

"No idea!" Sam's voice was barely audible like he was speaking not from the distance of twenty feet but from the neighboring state at least. "But we're fine… sort of." He noticed the mystery of the circle, too, and frowned, puzzled by that phenomenon. "Don't move… um… just in case."

"Okay! Just hold on you there!" Dean shouted in response. "Figuratively speaking," he added softer. He could barely see Lilith now… Damn, he could hardly hear his own voice! "If this is another trick on that little bitch I swear her death will not be quick and painless."

"Do you think she's causing this all?" Sam asked Bobby doing his best to shout down that terrible howling around them.

"Dunno, but the good news is that your mojo stuff seems to work."

"Great," Sam mumbled brushing away his hair from the eyes; the wind became even stronger, if it was possible. "Now we just gonna need to find out what to do next before we all became _Gone with the wind_."

Dean could not help but sigh with relief when among the howling of the wind and cracking of the trees he heard three sharp bangs – Bobby, Sam and Ruby were now safe, as safe as they could be, inside of the Impala.

He leveled his gun but lowered it almost immediately with an irritated growl – after turning several times on the spot when the wind had just started Dean could not say where Lilith was standing. Everything was black around them now and Lilith's white dress was no longer an indication of her position. If she was still standing somewhere there at all, which he seriously doubted. These cheap special effects ruined everything!

Anger rose inside of him. He should have shoot her right away without waiting an extra second, should have finished everything long ago! But the smart bitch was fast enough to save her ass. Again!

"Damn it!" Dean snarled and wished he could have something to punch to let his fury out. A baseball bat and a couple of demons would do at the moment! Instead he just squeezed the Colt's hilt tighter.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Bela whispered, and suddenly in that awful noise all around them it was the only sound he could hear.

For what? For their mistakes? For their choices that were not so much of _choices_ at all? For something that none of them was able to change? Bela couldn't say but words just came out of her mouth because she felt so. For her own self. For Dean. For Sam. For what she did and what she didn't do. For not coming across the Winchester brothers earlier. For wasted time. For life being so unfair. For wishing more than she could have.

Dean looked into her face for what seemed like a very long time although it actually lasted not more than a couple of seconds.

And then his mouth was on hers. The kiss was long, and deep, and gentle, and terribly desperate, like a prayer of a man lost in a desert for a drink of water. And Dean's arms were around her waist, and it was the only thing that helped Bela keep her balance. Her fingers loosened their grip on the now useless gun in her hand. It fell to the gravel with muffled rustle as her arms, now both free, slipped around Dean's neck holding on to him so tightly like it was a matter of life and death.

Assuming the obstacles, it probably was.

"I am not," he said almost soundlessly and leaned his forehead against hers giving them both a chance to catch their breath. Whatever she was talking about…

Five minutes to go. Bela didn't even need to look at her elegant and expensive watch to say that for sure. To hell with time! Hers was out anyway and yet they were at the same point they started from, still having no clue of how to break the deal. Not that she really believed… Not that she regretted that she did what she did.

"I wish you shot me somewhere along the way, Dean," she said without opening her eyes because if she saw his face, if she saw him… Damn it, _why_? Why now? Why like this? It was so awfully wrong! "I wish you took that bloody Colt of yours and threw me out of your motel room. I wish you weren't so damn nice and generous and… I wish I didn't… I wish I had reasons to die." The lump in her throat made Bela's voice fade away.

Dean's heart fell. She found a fucking bad time for saying such things.

He chuckled nonetheless.

"Oh, sweetheart, that would be way too easy for the both of us."

"Guess so," she admitted. "But it would definitely be a lot less painful."

And her face was cupped in his hands. And he was kissing her again, lightly, slowly, whispering something into her lips. Something absolutely stupid and meaningless, and yet so meaningful that only hearing these words was worth living at all…

Mobile phone buzzed softly in the pocket of Bela's jacket.

_Midnight_, she thought somewhere in the back of her mind. Like it mattered... Like anything at all mattered after she _did_ get a lot more than she ever deserved…

And then there it was… White light, like a stroke of lightning, or a flash bulb, or one million lamps turned on at once, so bright that it seemed to be able to shine through solid objects, all of a sudden lit everything around. Just a second and it was gone. And so was the wind, and the shield around the circle… and the demons.

The crossroads was still and empty again, aside from the black car, four people – two of them still kissing – and one particular demon.

"Hey, guys," Sam coughed into his fist when he and Ruby ran up to the circle followed closely by Bobby. "It's not… the right time… and probably not the best place."

"Besides, it's gross," Ruby added.

"Why don't you…" Dean started but cut himself off, eyes nearly popping out of his head at the sight of emptiness around them. "What happened? Where's Lilith? Where's… everyone?"

"The party's over, someone called the cops," Ruby grinned. But even her witty remarks could not hide anxiety, if not worry, in her voice. She was confused.

"What?" Dean blinked at her.

"It means we don't know what happened," Bobby explained and gave Ruby a displeased look. Still, did not comment. "They just all disappeared in that light."

"Whatever it was…" Sam looked into the sky but it was high and clear, with bright stars scattered all about it.

"Whatever it was," Dean repeated and followed his gaze. Didn't find anything new, though. It was beautiful though. Then he narrowed his eyes at the three of them as his mind absorbed the meaning of the conversation. "Wait a minute! You mean it wasn't you who did it?"

"Nope, definitely not!" Sam confirmed. "Doubt it was them, either."

"Do you hear that?" Bela asked after a little while.

"Hear what?" Dean frowned, prepared for anything at all.

"Nothing." She looked around. "What time is it?"

"Seven minutes past midnight," Bobby replied after a quick look at his watch.

All five of them exchanged puzzled glances full of utter disbelief.

"Does this mean the end of my deal?" Bela wondered not addressing anyone specifically.

"Guess so," Sam said with a degree of uncertainty and looked at Ruby for support.

"Does this mean the end of _my_ deal?" Dean echoed.

"I'll check this out." Ruby promised. "Still, I'd consider yourselves lucky, guys. All of you. Myself included."

"What do you mean?" Sam looked at her. "You know what that was?"

She shook her head.

"No. But I'd say you owe a big 'Thank you' to your guardian angel."

--

"Yes, thank you! Bye!" Bela hung up the phone and put it to the coffee table.

"What is this happiness about?" Dean asked with curiosity. "At 4 am in the morning."

"Found a buyer for that book we used," she replied lightly.

"You did WHAT?!" Dean nearly jumped up in his seat and threw a cautious look at the object in question which Sam so stupidly left right on the counter before leaving to go to Bobby's.

"Relax, Dean. I'm kidding," she laughed softly, tried not to show that her laugh referred mainly to the expression of his face than anything else. "It was a buyer, just not for the book, okay? Amazing how easily you could be misled."

"Amazing how often I have a want to wring your neck," he grumbled.

"Amazing how often you promise that," Bela teased him. "Yet, never really tried."

And aren't I glad? He thought.

"You were good back there," Dean said softly. "I mean really good. Much stronger than many would be in your place."

"I was about to pull the trigger," Bela confessed with a sigh. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to hurt him and how close I was to doing it right there and then. And I didn't care that I'd kill Bobby too, not for a second."

"Oh, that would definitely piss him off!"

They were sitting on the coach in Bela's apartment, Dean in the corner of it with his arms around Bela who leaned cozily against his chest with her head rested on his shoulder. His coffee and her chamomile tea were cooling down in the fine china cups on the coffee table beside them; none was bothered by this fact anyway.

"I can imagine that!" Bela chuckled.

Several hours had already passed since they were back and she still could not believe that it was happening for real. No deals anymore, ever! Well, at least no deals concerning soul selling.

Her fingers traveled mindlessly along Dean's arm, up and down as she watched her antique Ouija board attached to the wall with a remarkable bullet hole in the lower right corner. Thought lazily about the need to find a new one. Dean had probably had no idea what a piece of history he ruined with his shot. Or was it her shot? Whatever!

"I talked to Bobby," he broke the silence. "About these visions of yours and stuff."

"I don't have them any more," Bela informed him proudly, all self-satisfied. "The last time I saw Ruby she still was disgusting… in a way, but at least she didn't look like she'd just crawled out of the deepest hell pit."

Dean gave out a short laugh. Thought Ruby would be fascinated with comparison and told himself to remember it, just in case.

"Yeah, that was what Bobby said. All people bound to Hell start seeing hell bitches shortly before their souls are claimed. I guess it's a special way to get used to what you'd be seeing for eternity," he shrugged. "Now that your deal is broken you're back to normal again." Could help but make a funny face at the word 'normal'.

Bela slapped him on the arms with a laugh

"You mind your language, Winchester! I am still armed!" She looked up at him. "Bet you're going to miss me."

"What? No!" Dean objected immediately. "No way I'm going to miss you!" All self-defense and indignation. Bela raised her eyebrows questioningly… and received a long and deep kiss. "I already miss like hell."

--

The Impala purred softly down the motorway catching the light of streetlamps and snatching rough forms of tall trees that grew along the roadside out of the darkness with Dean tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and humming something under his breath and Sam flipping through the pile of printed pages on his lap, laptop turned on and set beside him on the seat.

"He's not finished yet," Sam informed his brother. "A couple of teenagers saw a strange looking man in that park zone late in the evening but they were quick enough to get out of there."

"Lucky them," Dean agreed.

"No deaths over the last couple of days," Sam continued.

"Lucky he. Less reasons for us to make his death long and painful. Like we don't have enough of them by now. Can't wait to rearrange the parts that jerk made himself of anyway." He turned up the volume of a cassette player with AC/DC tape in it a little bit. "I heard you talking to Ruby on the phone." Tried to sound as much matter-of-factly and indifferently as possible.

"Uh-huh," Sam did not lift his gaze up from the papers.

"What did she say?"

"Said you're out of your deal, which was not big news after Bobby told you the same thing even earlier. And Bela, too, which we found out right away. Said demon community is shocked by how you managed to do it. They do not believe you have now idea of how _exactly_ you did it."

"And?" Impatience now obvious in Dean's voice. "What about Lilith? Is she dead?"

"No, Ruby said she isn't and she's still after us."

"What a surprise!" He chuckled. "Speaking of surprises… Did Bobby say something about what could possibly happen back there, on the crossroads? Can't get the damn thing out of my mind."

"Nope," Sam shook his head. "But his theory is… hm, very close to Ruby's."

"What? A guardian angel?" Dean smirked and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, _please_! You can't be serious!"

"Well, not exactly." Sam paused. "Remember that time in Laurence, in our old house?"

"'Course I do! Why?" Then Dean whipped his head round and nearly drove down from the motorway on another abrupt turn forcing Sam to seize the door handle before he was sent flying across the salon. "You say it could be… dad?" He asked cautiously. It sounded too good to be true. Too unreal. But, hey, wasn't _unreal_ that one word that could describe their whole lives?

Another shrug from Sam and a long pause after that. "I don't know," he spoke when Dean had already decided that he wouldn't. "And neither does Bobby. But there should be something, I mean at all! And you know…"

"Stranger things happen," Dean finished for him. "Tell me that!"

"Yeah," Sam smiled and looked out the window at the dark trees. "So, you're with Bela now?" The question came out as if by itself when Sam's curiosity came to its peak.

"Yep." Dean nodded shortly.

"And… um… how's that supposed to be?" Sam tried to keep his voice absolutely disinterested. Just another lazy chat along the way… somewhere. Though he suspected that his amusement was too obvious.

"Dunno," Dean shrugged and stared thoughtfully out the windshield. "Weird, but…" he sighed wondering if the answer that spun in his mind was okay or it was too ridiculous and sentimental to say it out loud, too _Sam Winchester style_. He winced to himself. "There are still a lot of people for me to save and a lot of things for her to steal, and sell, and make money out of. The story of my life." His lips twitched into a lopsided grin, which was unexpectedly accompanied by a rather confused expression in his eyes. Okay, now Dean Winchester stepped into unknown territory for the first time. "I was just, you know, asking myself… what if it is really something? Not _just_ something, but _something_ something?" Voice plain and light, even _too_ plain and light. "Not that I was _really_ thinking that way," Dean added quickly when the words seemed somehow too meaningful and he felt he was… what, blushing?! "But, hell, why not?"

_Bingo_, Sam thought. Dean fell for the thief. Which was not so big of a surprise, but _still_! Sam coughed to hide his snicker, thought Dean might as well throw him out of the Impala and leave him right here in the woods if he laughed out loud.

"Sure, why not? But… _Bela_?" He made special accent on her name, more to piss Dean off than anything else. "She sold us to Gordon, Dean, remember? Gave us in to Hendrickson!"

"She helped us!" Dean retorted immediately, voice a bit too defensive for the one who didn't dive a damn about _something_ something. "Sort of." Cooler. "A couple of times. And we have the Colt back, right? And… Your girlfriend is a demon, for God sake!"

"She's not my…" Sam broke himself with a chuckle and shook his head. There was no point in saying it over and over again as Dean seemed not to hear him anyway. "Whatever." He paused.

Dean was not going to Hell anytime soon. And what was more important he even looked happy. Like _really_ happy, which was… well, _wow_! Especially considering the reason.

Lilith was gone, at least for a while.

And Bela… maybe wasn't _that_ bad after all. She actually did something with Dean, something that was making him smile the way he didn't for a very long time already, Sam had to admit. Anyway, he was just way too happy about this all to whine about Dean's taste for women or his comments or… at this very point Sam was ready to forgive any of his brother's faults only because _he was not dying_!

"Hey, Dean, I know I didn't say that before…"

"You better stop now before I start crying."

Sam grinned.

"Glad to have you back for good, dude."

--

Bela found the note attached to the fridge with one of her magnets the next morning.

"_Hey, sweetheart! _

_Had to leave unannounced, sorry. Gotta have one freaking Frankenstein ass kicked._

_Anyway, we go to Maryland afterwards. A bunch of kids tell creepy stories about local cemetery, gotta check that out, too. Sammy says it could be a spirit of a Native American guy who was buried alive some 300 years ago. _

_I know you know how to get that amulet called The Black Heart of the Warrior, so I'll see you in Maryland together with it in four days._

_Dean_

_xoxo_

_P.S. And don't you dare sell it along the way_!"

**The end**

* * *

I decided not to kill Lilith to save some challenge for Season 4 of the show but it wasn't a deathfic so everyone is alive, including Bela, and that is what really matters for me because I'll definitely miss her. Her death was so terrible wrong! If Season 3 ended my way I'd be really, really happy :)))

It was fun and pleasure to write this story and play with characters, and I would of course like to thank you all for your attention, and reviews, and support, and just everything :))) Hope you liked the way I'd finished my story.


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